Comment on proposals for presumed consent organ donation system in the UK - HARRIS

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sun 13th Jan 2008

Commenting on the Prime Minister's backing for a system of presumed consent with opt-out for organ donation, Dr Evan Harris MP, Chair of All-Party Kidney Group and member of the BMA Medical Ethics Committee, said:

"This is good news for patients, good news for potential donors and good news for their relatives, since under an opt-out scheme donor's real wishes will be more often respected, more lives would be saved and grieving relatives will be spared the experience of making the wrong decision at the worst time".

Dr Harris, a former hospital kidney doctor, who persuaded both the BMA and the Liberal Democrats to back the scheme 6 years ago and proposed the cross party back-bench amendment to the 2004 Human Tissue Act which the Government rejected, added,

"I am delighted that Gordon Brown now backs this plan after the Government blocked my amendment to the 2004 Human Tissue Act, which would have introduced the scheme."

"I welcome the fact that the Government is looking at this again since there are far too many people needlessly dying while waiting for organs, and far too many wasted organs when their owners would have wanted them to be used to save lives."

An opt-out system means that the majority of people who are willing to donate organs after their death are more likely to have their views respected while those who don't want to donate can register an opt-out which will be respected. It has also been shown to save more lives by making more organs available and to be popular in those countries where it has been introduced.

The current system, where in most cases there is no knowledge of the donors' wishes, and where relatives are asked what the deceased would have wanted, is not informed consent anyway, it is most often "grieving guesswork" and that is unfair burden on loved ones. Half of relatives say no which many later regret.

"An opt-out system is better for donors, better for those people who are waiting for life-saving transplant and better for grieving relatives"

"The Government should put this proposition to a free vote of Parliament at the earliest opportunity"

ENDS