The Organ Donation Taskforce which was set up in 2006 has been asked to look at the issue of ‘presumed consent’ and to report in the summer. ‘Presumed consent’ means that everyone is a potential donor unless they opt out. The present system is that everyone is not a donor unless they have specifically consented to organ donation or their relatives consent following death.
The new proposal of ‘presumed consent’ will broadly allow hospitals to use organs following death unless the person has refused (and this refusal is registered on the Donor Register) or family members object.
The debate has been pushed into the headlines by the Prime Minister who says “A system of this kind seems to have the potential to close the aching gap between the potential benefits of transplant surgery in the and the limits imposed by our current system of consent”.
The gap to which he refers has been explained by the Health Secretary Alan Johnson as “more than 1000 people die every year waiting for a transplant”.
The system has been used in other European countries and has meant an increase in the number of organs available and a much reduced waiting list for transplant. In for example, there are three times as many organs available.
The Prime Minister has called for debate on the idea of ‘presumed consent’ but in the meantime the Taskforce has recommended an increase in transplant co-ordinators and 24 hour retrieval teams.
To answer your question, if the proposal of ‘presumed consent’ is adopted and, after consideration, you do not wish to donate, you can register your refusal with the Donor Register.
