China issues human organ trade ban

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-04-06 20:03

China on Friday issued its first regulation on human organ transplants, banning organizations and individuals from trading human organs in any form.

The regulation, issued by the State Council, or China's cabinet, will go into effect on May 1.

The regulation does not apply to transplants of human tissue, such as cells, cornea and marrow.

Human organ transplants are defined as the process of taking a human organ or part of a human organ - such as the heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas - from a donor and transplanting it into a patient's body to replace his or her sick or damaged organ.

The regulation stipulates that human organ transplants should respect the principle of being voluntary and free donation.

The regulation comprises 32 articles in five chapters, including human organ donations, human organ transplants, legal responsibilities and supplementary points. It covers transplant quality and aims to safeguard citizen's lawful rights.