WMA Council Resolution on Organ Donation in China
Adopted by the 173rd WMA Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains, France, May 2006
and reaffirmed by the 203rd WMA Council Session, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 2016
Whereas, the WMA Statement on Human Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation stresses the importance of free and informed choice in organ donation; and
Whereas, the statement explicitly states that prisoners and other individuals in custody are not in a position to give consent freely, and therefore their organs must not be used for transplantation; and
Whereas, there have been reports of Chinese prisoners being executed and their organs harvested for donation;
Therefore, the WMA reiterates its position that organ donation be achieved through the free and informed consent of the potential donor.
The WMA demands that the Chinese Medical Association condemn any practice in violation of these ethical principles and basic human rights and ensure that Chinese doctors are not involved in the removal or transplantation of organs from executed Chinese prisoners.
The WMA demands that China immediately cease the practice of using prisoners as organ donors.