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.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
RSS