China bans trafficking in human organs
China on Friday issued a new regulationto control the use transplant surgery and ban all trading in humanorgans, following allegations in recent years that many transplantedorgans were taken from executed prisoners. The regulation was issued by the State Council, or cabinet, and takes effect from May 1, state media said. The draft regulation was approved last month and says that the donationof organs should respect the will of donors and be conductedvoluntarily. The regulation was drafted “in accordance with worldwide recognizedmedical ethics” and the World Health Organisation’s basic rules onhuman organ transplants, the government said earlier. China has admitted that organs for transplant are taken from some ofthe thousands of prisoners executed annually, but it says this is onlydone with the consent of the prisoners or their families. Foreign doctors and politicians have accused China of allowing executedprisoners’ organs to be sold for “transplant tourism” to the country. The new regulation also sets out strict supervision and managementrequirements for medical institutes carrying out human organtransplants.