China bans international use of corpses in effort to end illegal organ trade News
China bans international use of corpses in effort to end illegal organ trade

[JURIST] The Chinese Ministry of Health [official website] has approved new regulations [Xinhua report] governing the use and international transport of corpses in an attempt to crackdown on the illegal trade of organs. China has been criticized [BTS press release, DOC] in recent months for harvesting and selling the organs of executed prisoners without the consent of the prisoners or their families, but Chinese officials said in April that the use of organs without consent was illegal [JURIST report] and rarely occurred. The new regulation, which will take effect August 1, bans the use bodies for any purpose other than medical research and requires government approval before bodies may be transported in or out of the country for burial.

Separate regulations banning the sale of human organs [JURIST report], requiring written consent from organ donors and limiting the number of hospitals at which transplants are performed took effect July 1. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

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On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.