China: Economic Monster?

Yeah, I think plain old monster will do nicely thanks...

Source: BBC

China 'selling prisoners' organs'

Top British transplant surgeons have accused China of harvesting the organs of thousands of executed prisoners every year to sell for transplants.

In a statement, the British Transplantation Society condemned the practice as unacceptable and a breach of human rights.

The move comes less than a week after Chinese officials publicly denied the practice took place.

In March, China said it would ban the sale of human organs from July.

'Selection'

The British Transplantation Society says an accumulating weight of evidence suggests the organs of thousands of executed prisoners in China are being removed for transplants without consent.

Professor Stephen Wigmore, who chairs the society's ethics committee, told the BBC that the speed of matching donors and patients, sometimes as little as a week, implied prisoners were being selected before execution.

Chinese officials deny the allegations.

Just last week a Chinese health official said publicly that organs from executed prisoners were sometimes used, but only with prior permission and in a very few cases.

But widespread allegations have persisted for several years - including from international human rights groups.

Transplant tourism

Professor Wigmore said: "The weight of evidence has accumulated to a point over the last few months where it's really incontrovertible in our opinion.

"We feel that it's the right time to take a stance against this practice."

The emergence of transplant tourism has made the sale of health organs even more lucrative.

While I have nothing against the Chinese people and genuinely wish them well, it is my fervent belief that we strengthen the Chinese government at our peril.

I was chatting with a fellow Minuteman at a protest today and he made a point I'd never really considered before. Why is it exactly that we currently maintain a $200 billion trade deficit with China yet if you buy a Cuban cigar you go to jail?

It's a good question. Doesn't our problem with Cuba boil down to they're "nasty Communists?" Ahem, why then is China our best pal?

What's the difference precisely? And "transplant tourism?" For %^$# sake, this is diabolical, yet so long as we can aquire cheap tennies from Wal-mart it's all good?

I shudder for our nations soul.

H/T Gateway Pundit (who has more on the torture and mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners)

Technorati Tags: China, Transplant tourism, monsters, communism