China vows to stop harvesting organs from executed prisoners

China has vowed to stop harvesting organs from executed prisoners for transplants beginning Jan. 1, 2015, the head of the country’s organ donation committee announced.

Human rights groups praised the decision to end the controversial program, which is the country's main source of organs for transplant surgeries. The Chinese government only admitted to harvesting organs from executed prisoners in 2009

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The country first announced plans to end organ harvesting by November of last year, and while this did not eventuate, the government has been slowly phasing out the controversial practice. The head of the China Organ Donation and Transplant Committee, Huang Jiefu, said 38 main organ transplant centers have already stopped the practice. Read more...

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