News1 min ago
Organ Donation, Presumed Consent.
132 Answers
As the Government discuss changing the law regarding organ donation, are you for or against presumed consent. I have always carried a donor card and am registered, after my death they can have what ever they want. I can see a great benefit to ethnic minorities who are woefully under represented on the register. Can the health service afford all the extra transplants that will now be possible. A few points there, very interested in AB'ers views.
Answers
At last - it's been far too long in coming. I hope that the "we still need to ask the relatives" issue gets booted into touch too. All it needs now is the final tweak that says "If you opt out, then you go to the back of the queue if you subsequently need a transplant"
16:31 Tue 12th Dec 2017
I'm not keen and would probably say 'No'. Don't quite know what it is, but something in me rebels. I was considering opting into kidney donating, amongst other things - but it is the thought of lack of control which bothers me. I may not need it any more - but it is MY body and I want to know what happens to it. (Don't think my liver would be any good to anyone!) So all in all, I'll probably end up opting out instead of donating the organs I think can be useful.
'Presumed consent' is a ridiculous notion and although I personally am a donor as are most of the people near and dear to me I am very much against 'presumed consent' as it is usually absolutely not that at all and we must adhere to people's personal wishes on the subject and not just assume that they want to be a donor. I don't like the idea of the state taking control of loved ones dead bodies and ignoring the potential wishes of the grieving either, that is a slippery slope to other interventions. I think we have it right now and I would dislike it being changed.
The current system is a recipe for grand hypocrisy and mealy mouthed platitudes ... people seem to have all sorts of squeamish 'principles' and quasi-religious beliefs, right up until they (or a loved one) needs a transplant. Then, suddenly, all the fog evaporates and they are all in favour of donations.
It makes me sick that I have watched friends die because people don't donate something which (by definition) they can have no further use for.
If you don't like 'presumed consent', then there will be many opportunities to opt-out - and that will be very well advertised I'm sure.
Just don't expect to be first in the queue for a transplant if you do opt-out (that last bit is my view, not official policy ... unfortunately)
It makes me sick that I have watched friends die because people don't donate something which (by definition) they can have no further use for.
If you don't like 'presumed consent', then there will be many opportunities to opt-out - and that will be very well advertised I'm sure.
Just don't expect to be first in the queue for a transplant if you do opt-out (that last bit is my view, not official policy ... unfortunately)
..and I've watched people who have had transplants die of cancer because they've had transplants it's not as black and white as you wish it to be Dave and I wish you'd stop yelling and wishing fire and Brimstone on anyone with a marginally different opinion to yours. It's an emotive subject and not everyone will agree with you. I am on the Donor's register but I have no wish to compel people to have to opt out.