A bill to ‘regulate’ human organs harvesting in Lagos, passes second reading

A bill to ‘regulate’ human organs harvesting and transplantation has scaled its second reading in the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The bill scaled the second reading after it was read for the second time by the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, during plenary on Tuesday.

Mr Onafeko said the title of the bill was ‘Lagos State Organ Harvest and Transplantation Bill 2021’ .

He said that it is a bill for a law to regulate organ harvest and transplantation in Lagos State for other connected purposes.

The Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hakeem Sokunle, (Oshodi-Isolo 1) explained that the bill captured the legal framework for the regulation of organ transplantation from donors either living or dead to patients in need.

Mr Sokunle said the bill had seven parts with 37 sub-sections and tried to curb illegal trade in human parts.

“Under its offence and penalties’ clause, the bill states that a person who removes the organ of another person for a reason other than for therapeutic purposes commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of 10 years without an option of fine.

“The bill also stipulates that a person or any hospital and who, for the purposes of transplant, conducts, associates with, or helps in any manner in the removal of any organ without the permission of the authority commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N5 million or a term of 10 years,” he said.

Contributing, Gbolahon Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2), said the bill would help in putting a stop to organ trafficking, while calling the attention of his colleagues to some grey areas in the bill.