Human Biomaterials, Organs and Tissues as Objects of Crime

Abstract

During the fourth industrial revolution 3D print technologies became one of the prospective trends in regenerative medicine that offer new opportunities for treating people and conducting research; they make it possible to solve the problem of deficit of human organs and tissues for transplantation and, at the same time, to put an end to trade in human organs and issues. However, it is impossible to achieve the goals of regenerative medicine without settling a number of urgent civil and criminal law questions, and the presented study is devoted to searching the answers to these questions. The authors apply the methodologies of weighing the interests, legal analysis, unity of theory and practice, and legal axiology to discuss the questions of the legal regime of biomaterials, biosamples used for 3D-bioprinted organs and tissues, 3D-bioprinted organs and tissues themselves, as well as human organs and (or) tissues in criminal legislation. Based on this research, they suggest recognizing biomaterials, biosamples and 3D-printed organs as property and objects of proprietary interests by singling out their specific features. Since the development of additive manufacturing and 3D-printing is supposed to put an end to trade in human organs and tissues, the paper presents recommendations on improving the criminal law norms as a vital method of criminal law counteraction to the abovementioned crimes in general. Specifically, they formulate the idea on widening the object of crime in Art. 120 of the Criminal Code, present additional arguments regarding the possibility of recognizing human biomaterials, organs and (or) tissues as objects of crimes against property, as well as suggest supplementing Chapter 25 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with a norm on liability for illegal deals involving human biomaterials, organs and (or) tissues.