Wales led the way on organ donation

MEMBERS of Parliament are working to bring England in line with Wales when it comes to organ donation.

One of the most controversial moves in the history of our young Assembly was the decision to introduce an opt-out system of presumed consent.

Rightly, this triggered an intense debate about who should decide what happens to our bodies when we die. Passionate pro-devolutionists found themselves on opposite sides of the argument.

This was exactly what you want to see in a democracy. Opposing viewpoints were heard and fundamental issues – literally, matters of life and death – were wrestled over.

This displayed the maturity of Welsh politics. The question was not whether the Assembly should dare blaze a trail in this controversial territory that would set it apart from the rest of the UK; rather, the nation asked itself the question which should guide all policy: what is the right thing to do?

In 2015 Wales made history and introduced the principle that unless adults have opted out of the donation system it will be assumed that they consent for organs to be used after their death.

Yesterday, a Bill introduced by a Labour MP and backed by the UK Health Secretary cleared a hurdle towards bringing in the same system in England.

It is too soon to tell whether the Welsh innovation has been a success but the changes will surely bring hope to the thousands of people waiting for a life-changing transplant.

Organ transplants are not just one of the most astounding medical breakthroughs of modern times but a profound and humbling demonstration of how, in death, a person can pass on perhaps the greatest gift he or she will ever give.

Families who have gone through the sorrow of losing a loved one can find comfort in the knowledge that there is joy in another home because a life has been saved.

In these times of partisan tension, it is encouraging to see MPs working across party lines on an issue of such deep importance and acute sensitivity.

Equally, it is refreshing to see an idea pioneered in one legislature being carefully considered in another.

One of the most wearying aspects of devolution is when politically-driven firefights break out between institutions which do nothing to advance the quality of life in any of the UK’s nations. If ministers in one country jump on their counterparts every time a policy underperforms, it will discourage innovation.

But we have seen Westminster follow Wales’ lead on charges for single-use carrier bags, and if Environment Secretary Michael Gove presses ahead with a ban on plastic straws it would not be a surprise if such a move is also carried forward by AMs.

Devolution at its best gives us courage and cause to consider bold legislation. With organ donation, Wales set a precedent; if Scotland or England develop great ideas, these too should be studied in Cardiff Bay. We can pioneer different paths to a common good. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%