Presumed Consent Sought in Ontario, Canada

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government will have to consult the public more fully before it can consider becoming the first province in Canada to make every eligible resident an automatic organ donor unless they say otherwise, Health Minister George Smitherman said Monday.

Smitherman said he's "comfortable" with the idea of presumed consent, which advocates say would dramatically boost the number of available organs by requiring anyone who doesn't want to donate to opt out ahead of time.

Here's another example of Chinese media's reporting of organ donation by death row inmates, and cases of abuse. This translated excerpt from Phoenix TV's expose, IMHO is a balanced report on the issue of consent by the condemned:

http://www.phoenixtv.com/phoenixtv/72951501286277120/20050823/617113.shtml
...
Notoriety of celebrity has brought the issue of death row inmate organ donation to the forefront of public awareness. In reality, this is not a secret in the medical community. On September 2003, China Central Technology University's transplant research department faculty Yuan Jin, Chen Zhong Hwa, published "Morality of Live Organ Donation By Relatives". The publication mentioned main source of organ for transplantation is from death row inmates who consented to organ donation.

Reporters contracted doctors and officers of the courts to verify testimony gathered.

According to sources, in order to obtain blood sample from the condemned, permission must be obtained from the detention center, and supervised by court appointed auditor. "If it doesn't clear the courts, there's no way to donate organs." A senior court official stated that the courts providing legal avenue for hospitals to receive organs from inmates who consented to organ donation is not unprecedented.

There have been number of reports of death row inmates consenting to organ donation, including some unsuccessful petitions to donate, rendering the condemned with final regret.

At the same time, the official admits, after so many years, he can not rule out some cases of illegal organ harvesting. But he insists they are isolated cases.

However, these "isolated cases" have caused wide spread suspicion.
...

Here's a blurb on "Presumed Consent" for organ donation. It seems UK not only debated on the subject of boosting organ donation thru "opt-out" and "bereavement support", it actually was put to a vote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3845365.stm

This to me really demonstrate that not only is this issue debatable in China, it is debatable elsewhere too. To see more here's the Google search:

http://www.google.com/search?q=UK+vote+presumed+consent

Here's another blog on the issue of organ donation in China. Had an educational conversation with another blogger, so much so I'd recommend it over the my own POS blog:

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2006/04/involuntary_org.html

(Update: For those who comment without reading the post - we were talking about the British Transplant Society article were the concern of organ donation consent was raised.)

I think it is fair to say this issue is not only debatable, the Chinese are debating it - as the below search results show a range of opinions. To me this really demonstrates that China's problems isn't all that black and white. China too have their dilemmas and choices, and their own history to evaluate (and overcome).

http://www.baidu.com/s?ie=gb2312&bs=%CB%C0%C7%F4+%BE%E8+%C6%F7%B9%D9&sr=&z=&cl=3&f=8&wd=%CB%C0%C7%F4+%BE%E8+%C6%F7%B9%D9+%C2%C9%CA%A6&ct=0

In contrast, to condemn China with emotionally satisfying conclusion only serves ones ego, I submit.

Here's a quote from one of the 2005 article stating the danger for potential abuse in current system:

"允许死刑犯捐献器官还存在一个隐性危机"

Do you think the Chinese people came to this conclusion on their own, or they came to this conclusion because Epoch Times NY made up "Auschwitz" story to smear Hu Jintao (who just happens to be visiting US this week)?

Or even because of BTS' "not necessarily with consent" concern?

I would tend to think the current generation of Chinese already have human rights as one of their cultural values.

The Chinese people should be very proud, as they have come a long way

So what is "organ harvesting" anyways? Sounds terrible. Well, it happens in most country every day - it's called "organ donation".

Okay, how about illegal organ harvesting? (assuming the politically biased whatever you are reading isn't trying to mislead you with "organ harvesting *wink**wink**bad*"...)

Well, don’t' know where you are, but illegal organ harvesting happens in USA too. Recently New York broke a string of cases where thousands of people had organ donation form faked, bones and organs "harvested". The body is stuffed with plastic bags and propped up with PVC pipes and returned to loved ones.

Okay, let's just be honest and get to it - them damned Chinese harvests organs from executed prisoners. God damn evil chicom...

First, here's a report about a guy who turned himself in for killing his wife’s lover. Before he was to pay with his life, he decided to donate his organ as last act of redemption, and willed the organ donation compensation fund paid by the state to the victim’s family. In his interview he indicated the reason he called for press is to help bring awareness to organ donation in China:

http://news.sina.com.cn/s/p/2006-03-20/12299394605.shtml

Many such cases exists in China:

http://www.baidu.com/s?ie=gb2312&bs=%CB%C0%C7%F4+%BE%E8+%C6%F7%B9%D9&sr=&z=&cl=3&f=8&wd=%CB%C0%C7%F4+%BE%E8+%C6%F7%B9%D9+%C2%C9%CA%A6&ct=0

Some people would simply disregard Chinese media's reporting about themselves, insisting on what they know about China, like Buddhist culture and people's desire to die "whole" (probably learned from the movie "The Last Emperor".)

It probably is still true to some degree, but folks forget most Chinese are not criminals. Does one really believe "wholeness" applies to criminals in Buddhism? Above article demonstrates a common rationale for the condemned to consent to organ donation - the Buddhist desire for redemption.

You may find this irrational and indefensible.

But just for reference US allows death row inmate to donate organ to relatives on a case-by-case basis, and there are state legislations in proposal. Also until very recently Republic Of China (Taiwan) allowed this too.

Chinese culture and Buddhist religious foundation makes organ donation difficult to promote. However the condemned often seek redemption and last act of contribution to family and society, under the same cultural and religious foundation.

Yes, the Chinese government's organ donation compensation fund seems to be direct at this population, but its aim is to promote organ donation.

You may find faults in it. But who are we to deny their reality, and self-righteously accuse them with our Western sensitivity?

I do recognize there are abuses and irregularity, after all even in our own society where organ donation is more accepted, there are abuses and irregularity still.

But does this constitute “Auschwitz”?