What is the law in Britain concerning the sale of organs?
The main legislation in this area is the Human Tissue Act 2006, which was brought in after the scandals concerning pathologists’ appropriation of organs from dead babies without parents consent at the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool. That act bans payment for organs or tissues used in transplantation. However, the Act specifically excludes reproductive tissues and cells, which are dealt with separately by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. As noted above the EU Tissues and Cells Directive also bans payments for organs, but allows donors to be compensated for the exspenses and inconvieniences of donation.
