Politics · Indonesia · 17 hrs ago
Vietnam drops proposal for 15- to 17-year-olds to donate organs after death
Vietnam dropped a proposal for teenagers to donate organs after death after public criticism.
The proposal was part of an update to a 2006 law on organ and tissue donation.
Most transplants in Vietnam rely on living donors, while deceased-donor transplants remain limited.
Critics questioned whether parents could protect children from pressure and whether minors could understand the medical and ethical issues.
The revised draft says only people aged 18 or older can donate organs after death.
It still allows minors to donate regenerative tissue, such as bone marrow, to family members when no suitable adult donor is available, with health checks, counselling and consent.
The draft law is expected to be approved this month.
Vietnam withdrew a proposal to let 15- to 17-year-olds donate organs after death following public criticism.
The revised draft says only people aged 18 or older may donate their organs.
Critics questioned whether parental consent could protect minors from pressure or exploitation.
The proposal was part of an effort to update Vietnam’s 2006 law on organ and tissue donation.
The revised draft still permits living minors to donate regenerative tissue to family members under specified safeguards.
- Who
- Vietnam’s government withdrew the proposal; the proposal concerned 15- to 17-year-olds.
- What
- The proposal would have allowed minors to donate organs, tissues or their bodies after death with parental or legal representative consent.
- When
- The government withdrew the provision on Monday, November 2, 2026.
- Where
- Vietnam.
- Why
- Public criticism focused on whether parental consent could protect children from pressure or exploitation, and whether minors could understand the issues.
Vietnamese officials
Critics of the proposal
Purpose and safeguards
Vietnamese officials
Officials said the law update aims to increase life-saving transplants while protecting donors. The draft required parental or legal representative consent.
Critics of the proposal
Critics questioned whether consent could protect children from pressure or exploitation.
Minors’ ability to decide
Vietnamese officials
The proposal would have allowed 15- to 17-year-olds to donate after death with consent from a parent or legal representative.
Critics of the proposal
Critics questioned whether minors could understand complex medical, legal and ethical issues, including after a survey of schoolchildren as young as seven.
Vietnam began kidney transplants.
A draft submitted to the National Assembly proposed allowing 15- to 17-year-olds to donate after death with parental or legal representative consent.
A survey of schoolchildren, including children as young as seven, gathered feedback on the draft law.
Officials removed the under-18 donor provision from a revised draft.
Vietnam withdrew the proposal following public criticism.
The draft law is expected to be approved.
- Minimum age in revised draft
- 18 years
- Age range in withdrawn proposal
- 15 to 17 years
- Law being updated
- 2006 organ and tissue donation law
- Kidney transplants began
- 1992
- Living minors
- May donate regenerative tissue to family members if no suitable adult donor is available
3 sources
What people are saying
You cannot sacrifice one child to save another.
the provision allowing minors to register as posthumous organ donors prompted considerable controversy and differing opinions among the public
Taking these concerns into account, the government has revised the draft