The British Transplantation Society attacks China for allowing the use of organs from executed prisoners for organ transplants without the consent of those executed. An article in The Guardian reports two main issues raised by the British Society. For one, the use of organs from executed prisoners without consent is considered a breach of human rights and an unacceptable practice. The second issue is more one of corruption. An unethically close relationship between authorities regulating executions and for-profit transplant units is suggested.
Most medical tourists who go to China for organ transplants are reported to be from Japan and Japan, but patients from Western countries are also known to have shown interest.
Strangely the article does not take position on the issue of death penalty in general. The trust of the British Transplantation Society’s argument is not to stop executions but to stop the use of organs of executed prisoners. I have not thought about this very deeply but my first reaction when I read the article was uneasiness about the implied human right to be buried or cremated in one piece. In my opinion human rights should focus on the living, not on the right of corpses. Especially if a violation of the rights of a corpse opens up an opportunity to keep someone still living alive. I don’t believe in banning everything that could potentially be misused.
As for the close link between authorities which approve or carry out executions and organ traders, the way it is suggested in the article, I am sure that this also violates Chinese laws. A little bit of outside pressure on China to enforce their own laws is surely a good thing. I wish though someone would create a bit more pressure on our governments as well, to come up with ways to increase the number of organs available for those who need them. At least they should remove some obstacles that make organ donations more difficult. In Australia for example, even organs of those people who die after registering as organ donors cannot be harvested, if their closest relatives disagree. For me, that is unnecessary and surely costs a lot of people’s lifes.
