Organ transport law debate continues.

MB MPs, Independents and a number of NDP MPs disapproved the project

 

Katatni and Shaer: The law of Organ Transplants will turn Egypt into a human trafficking market.

 

 

 Parliament has agreed in principle on the Law of Organ Transplants amid huge warnings by numerous MPs from the MB, Independents, majority and opposition that this would open the door for human trafficking in Egypt .

 

The MPs refused the donating of organs from Egyptians to foreigners and called for severing the penalty law in order to prevent this from happening.

 

Dr. Mohamed Saad el-Katatni, Head of the MB Parliamentary bloc, stressed that “we need a law to regulate organ transplants, especially since it has became a social necessity with Egypt becoming the third ranking country in the world in organ trafficking“.

 

He pointed out that the current charters are insufficient especially in Articles 3, 6, 9 and 12 which require major amendments in order to achieve the laws goal.

 

Katatni called for the documenting and listing of all donors a necessity in order to prevent manipulation and trafficking and to also toughen penalties. He stressed that if the Parliament guaranteed the prevention of manipulation and trafficking, we will not hesitate to approve this law.

 

Mohamed Abdo, of the Constitutional Party, stated that opening the door for the so-called clinical death will lead to more trafficking in human organs.

 

Karma El-Hefyan, of the NDP, disapproved the draft law. He based his decision on the opinion of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs which does not consider a person who is brain dead as officially dead.

 

NDP MP Mohamed Khaleel Qoweta also disapproved the drafted law saying that Article 12 will turn the Egyptian people into “human spare parts”, pointing out that it also violates the resolutions of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. He stressed that Article 3 codifies the organ trafficking by allowing the organ transplanting to non-relatives and also by giving private investing hospitals the rights to perform operations. This is considered a national scandal.

 

MP Sameh Allam opposed the donating to non-relatives. He pointed out this would lead to organ trafficking and it is imperative we differentiate between life and death.

 

MP Azab Mostafa, of the MB Parliamentary bloc, said “Society is in severe need of this law to eliminate the trafficking in the organs of human beings which shames our country”, he called for a new Article to define death and also called for adding forensics in confirming death and to abolish the donating to non-relatives.

 

Dr. Hatem El-Gebaly, Minister of Health, commented that donating to non-relatives is subject to a committee appointed by the Minister of Health. He said “there are some illnesses such as kidney diseases which affects the whole family and leads to kidney failure, should we let them die or get them kidneys from non-relatives?”

 

MP Alam Eldeen El-Sakhawi, of the MB, warned of the existence of a market for donating organs of Egyptians to foreigners with no control.

 

MP Sayed Askar  warned of the impending manipulation and trafficking because there are many things undefined which is left to the executive regulations, adding that the approval of the law by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and Dr. Al-Qaradawi is not true and the law was not reviewed by them, but their opinions regarding the general principle was taken.

 

Dr. Mohamed El-Beltagi, of the MB Parliamentary bloc, asserted that Egypt is in dire need of this law in the light of the increasing number of cases of kidney failure. He called for providing guarantees in order not to lose any life and to authenticate the donation process in the real estate and not to be left to individuals.

 

Eng. Saad El-Husseini, of the MB Bloc, stated that the only sensitive and critical matter in this law is that whether the clinical death  is in fact considered  a death or not? He cited the Head of the Egyptian Association for the Nerves and Brain who emphasized that clinical death is not death.

“The Penal Code requires a unanimous verdict, however with regards to the definition of death, scientists are still debating” he added and wondered “Why wouldn’t the Council listen to the competent scholars in this matter.

 

On the other hand, Dr. Akram El-Shaer, of the MB Parliamentary bloc, declared his disapproval of the draft law because it has many essential matters. The law has also referred many important issues to the regulations which are considered as a derogation of the parliament’s authority in legislating.

 

Dr. Sorour commented on this saying “the regulations should not go beyond the text of and if it added new texts then it becomes void.

 

MP Mohamed Abdel Aziz Shaaban, of Al-Tagamoe party, suggested the establishment of an administrative department within the Administrative Control Body to follow up and implement the law.