Organ donor opt-out plan has ‘potential to save lives’

MINISTERS yesterday launched a radical plan to put all Scots over the age of 16 on the organ donor register unless they officially opt out.

The public is being asked for their views on the move, which could result in organs being taken from the dead without their prior consent.

Around 540 Scots with life-threatening illnesses are currently on the transplant waiting list, and one patient in ten dies before getting the organ they need.

Advocates of the proposed scheme believe it will increase the number of these life-saving operations.

Currently, people have to ‘opt in’, for example by joining the Organ Donor Register. But ministers will consider

‘Children will not be included’

introducing the ‘soft opt-out’ system if it has wide support and can be introduced in a way that ‘will do no harm’.

This would allow organs and tissues to be removed from an adult after death if they had not registered or expressed any prior objection.

Very few people actually die in circumstances which would allow them to be considered donors – normally in hospital intensive care units.

The Scottish Government has proposed that in cases where the deceased had not opted out, specialist donation staff ‘would approach the person’s family to discuss the fact and therefore, in the absence of other information, would be deemed to have authorised donation’.

Relatives would be asked if the deceased had ‘expressed any objections to organ donation’ and if not ‘then the assumption would be that donation could proceed’. This would count as ‘deemed authorisation’.

However, organ removal would not go ahead if it was likely to ‘cause distress to the family’.

Children under the age of 16 and adults who did not have the capacity to consent before they died would not be included.

Launching a 14 week consultation, Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: ‘There is more we can do for those who are still waiting for a transplant and it’s essential that we make sure we’re doing all we can.

‘That is why we are launching this consultation which looks at ways in which we could increase the number of people being referred to the donation services in Scotland and the number of times when donation is “authorised” to proceed.

‘We have agreed to consider the introduction of a soft opt-out system of donation if this can be developed in a way which will do no harm to trust in the NHS or to the safety of transplantation.’

Dr Sue Robertson of the BMA’s Scottish council welcomed the consultation. ‘Organ transplantation is an area that has seen amazing medical achievements but has not yet reached its full life-saving and life-transforming potential,’ she said.

‘We believe that genuine choice over organ donation can be facilitated through a soft opt-out system.’

Fiona Loud of the British Kidney Patients Association said: ‘Asking everyone their views is the right thing to do.’

But Dr Calum MacKellar, of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, said: ‘In principle this is a good idea but in practice it’s not because it is not ethical. It needs everyone to know about the opt-out system and to have made a decision. There’s no way that can happen... so you will have people becoming donors who would have preferred not to.’

Last night, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland said it would be ‘unwise to move to a system where donor consent is never required’.

‘Amazing medical achievements’