Maybe the thought of bad publicity as it gears up for the 2008 summer Olympics forced China鈥檚 hand. Maybe not. Nevertheless, China finally bowed to international pressure and agreed to ban transplant tourism, the practice of treating rich westerners with 鈥渄onated鈥� organs, often taken from executed prisoners.
At a summit on transplants in Guangzhou in mid-November, the Chinese government declared: 鈥淧ayments for organs and transplant tourism are not permitted鈥�.
The declaration further specified that written consent must be obtained from donors, or from the family if the donor cannot consent. Chinese nationals will receive priority, and foreigners will only be treated under special circumstances. The declaration, which becomes law on 1 January, will severely tighten restrictions on China鈥檚 transplant surgeons, and transplant facilities will be regularly inspected to ensure compliance.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 very encouraging,鈥� says Keith Rigg, a UK surgeon based in Nottingham who attended the summit. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e aware there鈥檚 been a lot of bad publicity.鈥�
