The Council of Europe has just published a new guide to facilitate the implementation of the principle that the human body and its parts must not, as such, give rise to financial gain.
The principle of prohibition of financial gain, as set out in the Oviedo Convention and its additional Protocol concerning the transplantation of organs and tissues of human origin, guarantees respect for human dignity. As a key principle in combating trafficking in human beings for the purposes of organ and tissue extraction, it is prohibited to trade in organs and tissues or to derive financial gain or other comparable advantages for the donor which benefits a third party or for those participating in the transplantation process.
This principle also contributes to the promotion of altruistic donations and to ensuring the safety and quality of donated human body parts for a reliable system of donation.
The guide underlines that the prohibition of financial gain does not prevent living donors from being compensated for loss of earnings and the reimbursement of medical expenses, or from being compensated for unjustified damage resulting from the removal of organs, tissue or cells.
Developed under the auspices of the Committee on Bioethics, the guide has also been adopted by the European Committee on Organ Transplantation (partial agreement).
