China Harvests Executee Organs

[Famine]

Yep, the Chinese are harvesting organs from the bodies of executed criminals for use in transplants.

Story.

Question is... why not? If you're going to have a death sentence, why not use it to prolong the lives of those with organ failure?

 

[Danoff]

It's tough to argue why not. If they had their right to life taken away, surely they have the right to their organs taken away as well right?

Are they harvesting before or after death? One might consider it "cruel and unusual" (not that that's a problem in China) if the organs are taken prior to execution.

But where does the line stop? Can we execute criminals and put their dead body out for everyone to gawk at? Can we execute them on television? Can we execute them and then televize people raping their dead body?

We don't completely suspend the rights of criminals, even when we kill them.

My take on it is that harvesting organs and donating their corpses to science probably isn't wrong. But there is definitely a line that needs to not be crossed.

 

[Famine]

As an aside, do we think that organ donation is something which should be opted out of, or opted into?

 

[ExigeEvan]

Didn't some 'artist' get some bodies from China for an exhibition and find a few bullet holes in their heads?

Organ donation should be voluntary, unless you are facing the death sentence IMO.

 

[DQuaN]

Are they harvesting before or after death? One might consider it "cruel and unusual" (not that that's a problem in China) if the organs are taken prior to execution.

They could be killing two birds with one stone there.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

They could be killing two birds with one stone there.

Death by heart transplant, nice.

Who's to say that someone with some money that needs a transplant wouldn't be able to pay for someones sentence to be moved from 2 years to death simply because they're organs match?!

 

[Pako]

For the record, I could care less what happens to my organs AFTER I die, and "after I die" being the clincher for me. I'm an organ doner and plan on having my organs harvested if needed so there my stance on that. One does have to wonder if death sentences might be passed out more freqently since there are other life benifits now to these criminals getting executed. Interesting....

 

[Seanman]

Who's to say that someone with some money that needs a transplant wouldn't be able to pay for someones sentence to be moved from 2 years to death simply because they're organs match?!

If they want to, they probably can. You have not even begun to see the level of corruption inside China. If you want the goverment to do ANYTHING, you'd have to bribe them. Want your son to go to a good high school, 20,000 yuan and he's in.

On the other hand, if he's going to die two years from now, why prolong the wait. Its not like he's going to get off on a technicality or something in China anyway.

 

[Kylehnat]

Question is... why not? If you're going to have a death sentence, why not use it to prolong the lives of those with organ failure?

Have you seen what "prison wine" does to one's liver and kidneys?

 

[smellysocks12]

Soon they'll be selling those organs as gourmet food.

 

[niky]

OMG! Larry Niven was a prophet!

This reeks of his postulated "organ banks"... of course, he kind of hinted that the need for replacement organs gets so bad in the future that they'd make almost any offense a reason for capital punishment... like... speeding.

Oh, on organ donation... I'd personally say "opt out of"... but I believe in people's rights to not donate unless they want to. It's your body... your decision if you want it to become fertilizer or someone's spare parts.

 

[a6m5]

I was kind of leaning toward's famine's suggestion of optional thing, but more I think about it, if they commited crime(s) serious enough to result in execution, maybe it is OK for the government to make them pay back to society in form of forced harvesting of organs. After the execution, of course. I mean they aren't gonna need'em anymore. It would work out great, especially if the criminal was a murderer or something. He took someone's life, but after he's gone, he could possibly save someone else's.

 

[TurboSmoke]

in a word, consent.

but i take your point.

i suppose the rationale is to take the healthy organs from people who dont need it any more in order to provide a better quality of life for those who need it....seems good to me.

however, why take organs just from prisoners? why not all dead people, prisoners or not? Surely the punishement handed down by the court was to spend time in prison, not to have you organs harvested once you are dead.

personally i would give my organs if they are healthy enough but if i knew they took, without consent, the organs of a dead loved one, i would be furious.

Question is... why not? ?

 

[DeLoreanBrown]

'

Without consent, & we're talking about China here, the simple fact is it would speed up executions & increase the number of death sentences meted out.

Consider the phrase; Prisoners for Profit.

They are selling these items internationally.

 

[Canadian Speed]

I've been saying to do this for years. As a convicted murderer, convicted serial rapist, pedophile, ect. You've forfeited your rights as far as I'm concerned. Now I'm not talking about the sob story where there was a shadow of a doubt and it just so happened to be true that the guy wasn't guilty. I'm talking hard core Dalmers, Hamolkas, BTKs and so on. Only I say, do it one step better. Hold off killing them, keep them as organ farms with organs to be used as needed. Why risk having a perfectly good liver go to wast due to the fact that perhaps there is no one at that time that needs that exact liver with that particular blood type. Same goes for lifers and three strike people who just don't get it...

I think the punishment fits the crime... For having ruined several lives. From their lives, many lives will be improoved. It's that simple and if some one needs your heart, well then it's your time to go... Who's to say that giving the killers kidney to some kid might not result in that kid growing up and finding a cure for cancer. It's better then just having the parts rott in the ground when they could be helping people lead productive lives...

 

[TurboSmoke]

i think we should keep this information as far away from Tom Cruise as possible...

Soon they'll be selling those organs as gourmet food.

 

[Mark T]

I'm sure that there are rich Chinese business people behind this. The government is probably making money from taking there organs. After all, the prisoners are only costing the government money. I'm sure there are loads of dodgy things that go on, but in China who's going to question it?