European parliament tries to stamp out trafficking in human organs

The European parliament has overwhelmingly supported wide ranging moves to stamp out the growing phenomenon of trafficking in human organs.

The measures include proposals to make it a criminal offence for European Union citizens to go abroad and pay for kidney transplants, and to introduce a minimum 10 year prison sentence for anyone caught trafficking individuals into the union so their organs can be removed without consent.

The draft legislation says that the penalties would apply especially where force, violence, threats, deceit, or other forms of coercion (in particular psychological or physical) are used.

Although all 15 EU countries, …