In South China's Shenzhen City, local legislators are reviewing a draft regulation on the donation of human organs for life-saving transplants. The law, if approved, will become the first law of its kind in China. It is expected to be of great significance in providing a framework for the carrying out of human organ transplants in a prudent, proper and positive manner.

Every year, millions of patients in China join the queue for human organ transplants. However, due to a lack of legal governance and the shortage of human organs, less than 1/50th of them end up receiving such transplants.

Meanwhile, the transplant of human organs has stirred debate on issues concerning how to handle the subtlety of relationships between the organ donor and recipient. Also there are issues concerning the responsibilities of relatives of brain-dead donors who may protest against the removal of living organs on moral grounds.

Zhou Rongshen, Deputy Director of Legislative Committee, Shenzhen City People's Congress said, "We want to use this legislation to better serve the goal of saving human lives. The transplant of human organs, which has already been carried out in Shenzhen, has brought hopes of life to many patients in the city. We hope that the regulation will promote the transplant of human organs in a prudent, proper and positive manner. "

The ongoing review at the session of the Shenzhen City People's Congress Standing Committee is centering on the issue of whether to use brain death as a criterion for removing human organs from a potential donor for transplant. The legislators seem to be split on what defines a dead donor.

The legislators in favor of adopting brain-death as a criterion argue that organs removed from a breathing brain-dead donor are still living and therefore more helpful in saving the lives of the recipient. But some other legislators oppose the idea. They say using brain death as a criterion triggers a moral issue. Should organs be removed from a donor while his or her other organs are still alive even though the brain is dead.

The outcome of this review -- whether the draft regulation will be approved or not -- will be revealed this afternoon.

(CCTV.com August 22, 2003)