About-face in government policy
The Philippines government has yielded to pressure and has banned kidney transplants for foreigners. This officially puts an end to a lucrative market for transplant surgeons and organ brokers. Health Secretary Francisco Duque says that offenders could get jail sentences as stiff as 20 years. Transplants for foreigners had increased more than 60% between 2002 and 2006. Last year 500 kidney transplants were performed just on foreigners. Up until now, hospitals were permitted to perform 10% of their transplants for foreigners. But many transplant facilities were working over the limit. Whether this will put a stop to the exploitation of poor locals is doubtful. Many of the transplants were illegal under the old regulations. ~ Manila Bulletin, Apr 30

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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