Vietnam scraps child organ donors proposal after backlash
Vietnam's proposed changes to its organ donation laws sparked debate over children's rights and safeguards against pressure from adults.
Vietnam has withdrawn a proposal to permit children aged 15 to 17 to donate their organs after death following public backlash. The country, which initiated kidney transplants in 1992 and leads the region in transplant procedures, primarily relies on living donors for transplants. Officials are revising a 2006 law on organ and tissue donation to boost life-saving transplants while protecting donors.
The initial draft, submitted last month, permitted children in this age group to donate tissues, organs, or bodies posthumously with parental or legal representative consent. However, online criticism led to the removal of the provision for under-18 donors in the revised draft released on Sunday. The government accepted lawmakers' recommendations that only legal adults should donate organs.
Public opposition centered on the adequacy of parental consent in safeguarding child donors from potential pressure or exploitation. Concerns also arose from a schoolchildren's survey conducted in October to gather feedback on the draft law. The revised draft now stipulates that only individuals aged 18 or older can donate organs, with an exception allowing minors to donate regenerative tissue, such as bone marrow or stem cells, to family members when no suitable adult donor is available.
The procedure would necessitate health assessments, counseling, and consent from both the child and their legal representative. A revised draft law is expected to be approved this month.
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