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By William B. Depasupil, Reporter
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) does not the
support the idea of a total ban on kidney transplant operations for
foreigners in the country.
Himself the recipient of a kidney donation,
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said what should be banned is the
commercialization or selling of human organs, but not organ
donations and transplants, per se.
“If an individual, without compensation, is
willing to share a kidney or another organ so that another person
may live a full and useful life, I don’t see any reason why the
law should stop him, especially if the patient is only surviving on
dialysis, which is a very costly and painful procedure,” Gonzalez
told reporters.
Gonzalez also agrees with the Church’s stand
that buying and selling of human organs for a profit is immoral, and
government should exert extra effort to stop such practices.
Individuals who voluntarily donate part of their
bodies to help others live should be rewarded, on the other hand,
Gonzalez said.
“It is one of the noblest things a person can
do in his lifetime,” Gonzalez, whose kidney was donated by his
personal driver.
The Department of Health (DOH) earlier declared
a total ban on organ transplant operations for foreigners in the
Philippines amid widespread reports that many Filipinos,
particularly in depressed areas, were selling their kidneys for as
low as P20,000 to P300,000.
Gonzalez said he is still awaiting from the DOH
the implementing rules and guidelines of its Administrative Order
(AO) which is known as the Revised National Policy on Living
Non-Related Donor and Transplantation, as well as the position of
the National Kidney Institute (NKI) before issuing his own.
Gonzalez said a new law against illegal kidney
trade will strengthen Republic Act (RA) 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking
Persons Act.
Section 4 of RA 9208 states that all hospitals,
transplant facilities and medical practitioners found to violate the
directive are criminally liable if found to be involved in the
underground trade.
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