HANOI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has proposed allowing people under 18 to donate tissues, organs or their bodies after brain or circulatory death, local daily Nhan Dan reported Wednesday.
Under the proposal, they must register as donors or express their wish to donate before death, with consent from their legal representatives.
The proposal was put forward by Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan on Wednesday as she presented to the National Assembly (NA) a draft law on human tissue and organ donation, removal and transplantation, and the donation and recovery of human cadavers.
The draft law aims to expand the pool of donors and increase patients' access to organ transplants, the minister said.
The NA's Committee for Cultural and Social Affairs called for a thorough assessment of the potential psychological, social and ethical implications, as well as the risk of dependent relationships being exploited to pressure or coerce individuals into donating tissues or organs, the report said. ■