The Human Organ Transplantation Act (人體器官移植條例) has been amended to prohibit the use of organs from executed prisoners, as well as the sale, purchase and brokering of organs.
The legislature yesterday passed amendments banning the sale and purchase of organs for transplantation, as well as the use of organs from executed prisoners.
The amendments were made in accordance with international principles and agreements, which say that a state is obligated to be “self-sufficient in organ transplants, ban organ selling and buying, and prevent its commercialization and ‘transplant tourism,’” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said.
According to the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center, there are at least 7,862 people waiting for organ transplants in the nation, Tien said.
“With the revisions, we have endeavored to expand the scope of organ donation by requiring administrative offices to inquire about people’s intentions upon registering as an organ donor when they apply for [or renew] a driver’s license, National Health Insurance card or national identification card,” Tien said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) said that restrictions on living-donor transplants have also been relaxed.
For example, with the amendments, transplants from living donors require the consent of only one, rather than two, family members, Hsu said.
Tien said that due to an international shortage of organs, “transplant tourism” has become a pressing issue for medical ethics and human rights, “especially the harvesting and selling of organs from living people.”
“The practice is not only against the principle that organs should not be sold, but also a crime against humanity,” Tien said.
“The law was amended to prohibit the selling, buying and brokering of organs, as well as transplant tourism,” she said.
Following international consensus, organs from executed prisoners are not to be used in the nation, Tien added.
Many Taiwanese go to China for illegal organ transplantations, DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) said.
“That is why the law was amended to require those who have received organ transplants abroad to provide information to domestic hospitals where they are to receive post-transplant treatment about where the surgery was done and who the surgeons were,” Yu said.
“The domestic hospitals then have to report the cases they deals with,” she added.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS