The Tainan City Council on Tuesday warned Taiwanese against traveling to China to receive illegal organ transplants, joining three other city council in issuing similar calls.
It also condemned the illegal practice as a crime against humanity.
RESOLUTION
Photo courtesy of Tainan City Council
The city council passed a cross-party resolution sponsored by 28 councilors, demanding that the Tainan City Government do more to raise awareness of organ harvesting in China and help dissuade people from traveling there to participate in the practice, which is banned under the Human Organ Transplantation Act (人體器官移植條例).
The resolution also voiced the council’s support for the Universal Declaration on Combating and Preventing Organ Harvesting, which was issued by five non-governmental organizations during the 2021 UN General Assembly.
CALL FOR END
The declaration calls for an end to harvesting organs from living persons for profit, which it describes as one of the worst mass atrocities of the century.
The act states that it is illegal for people in Taiwan or abroad to participate in the organ trade abroad, and that anybody brokering transplants could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to NT$1.5 million (US$48,151).
Article 12 of the act stipulates that organs for transplantation should be provided or acquired free of charge.
The Tainan City Council also joined lawmakers in calling for drawing up new legislation based on the declaration to criminalize organ harvesting.
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