On the 9th of July the Committee of Ministers took an important ste against forms of commercialisation of organs when it adopted the Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs.
The new instrument stresses that human organs shall not be bought or sold or give rise to
financial gain or comparable advantages for the person from whom they
have been removed or for a third party. It allso calls on states to criminalize the illegal removal of human organs from living or deceased
donors without proper consent or authorization, or for financial gain or advantage. The convention provides for protective measures and sompensation for victims as well as prevention measures to ensure transparency and
equitable access to transplantation services.
The Explanatory Report to the Convention can be found here.
The press release and the related statement of the Committee of Ministers can be found here and here.
Marta López at al. published a comment "A needed convention against the trafficking in human organs" in the Lancet.The conclusion of the article is as follows:
[...] the Convention will be a seminal international legal instrument that for the first time reaches illicit transplant practices that currently escape prosecution. By complementing each other, this Convention on trafficking of human organs and the instruments on human trafficking for organ removal provide a comprehensive legal framework to prevent and combat transplant activities that violate basic human rights. The worldwide problem of organ trafficking can only be addressed through concerted action at global level. Therefore, we urge all countries to quickly become Parties to the Convention.
The article can be found here.
