Ministry of Justice denies sales of death row inmates' organs

A local newspaper reported yesterday that certain organizations asked inmates on the death row to donate their organs to certain people and gave NT$200,000 to NT$400,000 to their family members in return. The term “funeral subsidy” was used in such cases as a disguise to avoid any suspicion.

Tseng said he has never heard of such acts. Organ donations from executed inmates must follow the procedure set by the Department of Health (DOH), which certifies the principles and priorities of organ transplantation. The prison and private organizations have no way to interfere.

Of the two organizations being revealed by the newspaper, Taiwan After-Care Association (TACA) and Prison Fellowship Taiwan (PFT) both denied the allegations. Huang Ming C., director of the PFT, said to the China Post reporter that they would never talk about money when asking inmates to donate their organs.

There are forty inmates on the death row in Taiwan now. About twenty of them have agreed to donate organs after their death. The Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP) said it is immoral to ask the inmates to donate their organs. The CEO of the TAEDP, Lin Shin-yi, said it is not proper for anyone to hint or persuade inmates to donate their organs.

The TAEDP doubted whether such agreement was out of inmates' own free will.

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