Beginning in 2015, the court issued an order to "ban the organs of executed prisoners".
Prior to this, more than 70% of the successful organ transplant cases in China came from prisoners, which made a great contribution to the mainland's medical industry.
However, with the implementation of this order, the rate of organ donation in the mainland has plummeted, and the mortality rate of patients has also increased significantly.
Even as a result, why does the state insist on banning the organs of condemned prisoners?
And, even if the organs of the condemned prisoners are not used, why are their bodies not shown to their families?
On the surface, the use of prisoner remains as a source of organs can greatly alleviate the dilemma of organ shortages. After all, instead of letting these remains go to complete waste, it is better to give life a chance to rekindle. However, if we dig deeper into the ethical issues, we will find that there are too many controversies and negative effects of this practice.
All statements in this article are based on reliable information, and the sources are detailed at the end of the article
«——[Organ Donation Controversy in Death Row Prisoners]——»
First, there is a serious problem with the guidance of organ donation. It is true that in the early days of China, there was a large use of organs from death row prisoners, which was considered immoral and inhumane. In 2015, after years of hard work, China finally announced a total ban on the use of prisoner organs. However, some relevant data shows that there are still very few hospitals that secretly use organs from death row inmates. This will undoubtedly cast a shadow over the determination to reform.
Second, some institutions use the remains of condemned prisoners without their consent or even an agreement with their families. Such practices are unethical and undermine their personal rights. This has undoubtedly exacerbated the grief of the families and greatly undermined human dignity.
Whether they actually had the will to donate their organs during their lifetime is also an unsolved mystery. In the past, most of the organs of death row prisoners in China were harvested and used without the consent of the person concerned. This is undoubtedly a serious violation of personal rights.
Thirdly, the use of their organs can also have subtle negative effects. Once the masses subconsciously think that their organs can be used, they will even think that it is in vain not to donate organs. There is a high risk that this distorted perception will spread to the wider community.
In order to eradicate this potential harm once and for all, it is imperative to cut off the supply chain of organs to executed prisoners. However, reversing this situation will not happen overnight.
On the one hand, it is necessary to intensify the construction of systems and severely crack down on illegal organ trafficking activities; On the other hand, it is more important to vigorously publicize the knowledge of organ donation in the whole society and enhance the public's consciousness. Only when people truly establish the concept of humanitarianism and the supremacy of life can voluntary unpaid organ donation form a conscious trend in the whole society.
«——【Prohibition of transplantation of death row prisoners】——»
Therefore, in order to further improve the law on organ transplantation and safeguard the basic rights of human beings, China officially promulgated a ban on organs of death row prisoners as early as 2014.
In January 2015, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate jointly issued a judicial interpretation explicitly prohibiting the use of death row convicts for transplantation. The main purpose of this initiative is to preserve the dignity of death row prisoners.
The main reasons behind this decision include ethical considerations. Although they have been sentenced to death, they still have basic personal rights, including the right to dispose of their bodies.
In addition, many laws and regulations related to organ donation need to be further improved. For example, the right to informed consent should be explicitly protected; Establish a traceable certification system for patients who have obtained organs; Illegal organ trafficking should be severely punished. Only by truly grasping every aspect of laws and regulations can we avoid the recurrence of such controversial incidents as organ donation.
The ban on organs from condemned prisoners shows that the mainland must increase the amount of organ donations through other means.
So what is the position compared to the international level?
«——【Current Situation of Organ Donation·】——»
The biggest obstacle to human donation in Chinese is the obstacle of traditional concepts. The Chinese believe that "the body is the skin of the body, and the parents of the body" must be kept as intact as possible. Funeral customs also do not approve of cremation, which must be buried in peace.
In fact, human donation does not affect cremation, but only removes some organs from the body, and other parts are cremated and dedicated to relatives as usual. At the same time, the body will be restored after the donation to preserve its appearance as intact as possible.
Therefore, traditional notions need not be an obstacle at all, and organ donation can respect both life and cultural traditions. As long as we all establish the right concept and actively respond to the call for human organ donation, we can alleviate the dilemma of organ supply.
In fact, there are also institutional and publicity problems with organ donation in China. For example, the donation channels are not smooth enough, and the publicity efforts need to be increased. In the U.S., 18-year-old citizens are asked to register as donors.
In addition, there are many people who do not know about organ donation and do not know the specific procedures and processes. In fact, every donation is made under the guidance of the hospital, and as long as you pass the medical examination, you can donate. The body will also be properly preserved and respected.
Therefore, in the future, China needs to establish a sound organ donation mechanism at the institutional level to facilitate public participation. At the same time, we will intensify education and publicity to dispel everyone's doubts and let more people voluntarily join the ranks of organ donation.
According to China's organ transplant statistics, according to the China Organ Transplant Development Report (2020), between 2015 and 2020, a total of 29,334 cases of organ donation were completed after the death of Chinese citizens, and the organ donation rate per million population rose from 2.01 in 2015 to 3.70 in 2020, with the highest in 2018 reaching 4.53.
Despite this, the demand for organ transplants still far outstrips the supply. According to statistics, about 3 million patients in China need organ transplants, but only about 10,000 transplants can be performed each year.
Therefore, efforts are being made to promote social awareness of organ donation in China and to take steps to increase the number of organ donations to alleviate this tension.
In fact, it was not until 2007 that the mainland promulgated the Administrative Measures for the Autopsy of Human Organ Donation Corps. Donation has been strengthened with the implementation of the Human Organ Transplant Regulations in 2010. In 2017, a total of 5,337 cases of human organ donation were carried out nationwide, and the number of donations increased rapidly.
Organ donation is a humanitarian spirit that embodies people's selfless dedication in the face of life and death. In China, organ donation is based on the principle of "voluntary and unpaid", which is to save people who need transplants because of organ failure.
Let's donate our bodies or organs, and by doing so, we are giving the deceased to others for free, giving hope of a new life to those in need. This embodies the purest kindness in human nature.
Many people choose to donate their bodies to medical schools and hospitals before they die. By dissecting human remains, medical students and doctors can improve their understanding of the anatomy of the human body and thus better diagnose and treat patients. This selfless dedication is also the most precious meaning of human donation.
«——【Organ Donation Prospects·】——»
In recent years, the relevant departments in mainland China have also realized the seriousness of the shortage of organ donations, and have taken a series of measures to promote the work.
For example, in August 2018, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Development of Human Organ Donation", proposing a number of specific measures such as increasing publicity and mobilization and smoothing donation channels.
In addition, the Healthy China Strategy in May 2019 also promoted organ donation and transplantation as a key task. Some places have also introduced specific policies to promote organ donation.
In August 2019, Zhejiang Province implemented the "Human Organ Donation Legislation".
These legislative measures not only help to raise the public's awareness of the importance of human organ donation, but also effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of donors and promote the standardization and legalization of organ donation. At the same time, it also helps to promote the respect for life in society as a whole.
The continuation of a better life requires the strength of each of us. China is making great strides in this direction, and we look forward to more people joining this selfless cause in the future.
Bibliography:
1. The Corps cessation of gambling - why can't the body of a condemned prisoner be returned to his family after the execution of the death penalty? In fact, it is for the sake of the family