?[By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]

In 1956, my father died when his kidneys failed and his body, in effect, poisoned itself. Today, that doesn't have to happen. We have kidney dialysis, allowing life to be extended, sometimes for years, by the use of special machines and, even more remarkably, we have organ transplants, sometimes allowing the organs of one person to be successfully transplanted into another person's body. There are people in the modern world walking around with other people's hearts, kidneys, lungs and other bits and pieces. Furthermore, medical science is making almost daily strides into even more remarkable areas such as the possible use of organs from animals.

There is, however, a catch in this area of modern medical miracles ― in most cases the life of one person is being prolonged at the expense of the death of another. This is not always the case ― for example, we can live with one kidney and give the other one to someone who needs it. But in the case of a heart transplant, the donor dies or, more properly, is already dead; and that raises some interesting ethical questions.

Because of my father's death, I pay attention to issues surrounding transplants. So I took notice when the Chinese government announced recently that it would begin to reduce the use of organs from executed prisoners for transplants. This is not something that happens in the West, at least not without the permission of the prisoner, and the knowledge that it happens in China has been a quietly contentious issue. The recent announcement would seem to indicate that China is also aware of moral sensitivities of this practice.

From a purely practical standpoint, if one person's death can give another person life, there is no reason not to utilize this benefit wherever it can be found. However, this practice raises inevitable questions about whether some prisoners are put to death simply so their organs can be harvested and, unlikely as this scenario is, some will believe that this is happening. Other tales seem to suggest that there are destitute people willing to sell a kidney if the price is right. Indeed, there have also been stories, rumours mostly, about people who have been surreptitiously drugged and had an organ such as a kidney stolen.

Some people object to transplants under any circumstances for religious reasons, maintaining that God does not approve of the practice. However, most people today accept the benefits of organ transplants. Procedures exist in most jurisdictions to allow people to donate their organs after their death if they can benefit someone else. In some cases, the survivors of the deceased can also provide directions to make the donation possible, although this has led, in some cases, to schisms between family members who are not in agreement.

China is moving swiftly into this area and several provinces have enacted legislation within the past few years to make organ donations legal. Earlier this year a selfless 12 year-old boy in Guangzhou, who knew he was dying of a brain tumour, told his parents he wanted to donate his healthy organs after his death. The doctors pointed out to the parents that they would not be paid for the organs and there were procedures to be followed but, when the boy died, doctors were able to give his liver, kidneys and a cornea to four people who might otherwise have died or been blind. The doctors and the hospital were taking part in a national organ donor pilot program that had started about two years earlier. There are similar stories from other parts of the country.

Now, according to the latest news, China plans to reduce its use of organs harvested from executed prisoners. I suspect there are several reasons for this. The program paving the way for organs donated, rather than seized, is having a positive effect on the supply of organs available to those who could benefit from transplants. At the same time, the number of prisoners being executed in China is declining each year, so organs from that source are becoming less plentiful. China, for all her autonomy, is still sensitive about its image in other parts of the world and understands that some people believe the practice of taking a person's organs without their consent is barbaric.

The problem remains, however, that there are never enough organ donations to fully meet demand. Religious sensitivities and moral outrage aside, it can be argued that it is also barbaric to throw away (or, in this case, bury) perfectly healthy organs. This issue will undoubtedly remain thorny for policymakers for a number of years to come because practical expediency and moral and religious positions will continue to remain at odds.

Brad Franklin is a former political reporter, newscaster and federal government employee in Canada. He is a regular columnist for China's English Salon magazine and lives on Vancouver Island.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn