‘Soft opt-out’ organ donation laws introduced

Legislation to introduce a new “soft opt-out” system for organ donation has been introduced at Holyrood.

The change means people would be assumed to have consented to their organs being used to help others unless they had signed an opt-out, potentially increasing the number of organ transplants that can take place in Scotland each year.

The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill contains safeguards to ensure people’s wishes regarding donation are followed, and that families will be asked about their relative’s views to ensure donations do not occur where the person would not have wished it.