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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/15/organ-donation-families-block-transplant
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| Yes, organ donation is hard to discuss – but should we let families block it? | Yes, organ donation is hard to discuss – but should we let families block it? |
| (7 months later) | |
| Whatever people’s personal feelings about organ donation, I am normally greeted with the same shocked expression when I tell people that families are allowed to block transplants, despite their loved one having actively signed up to the organ donor register during their lifetime. | Whatever people’s personal feelings about organ donation, I am normally greeted with the same shocked expression when I tell people that families are allowed to block transplants, despite their loved one having actively signed up to the organ donor register during their lifetime. |
| It is a fact of family life that relatives will occasionally disagree, sometimes vehemently. Most of us would cast a dim view on families that tried to prevent their children, parents or siblings praying to the God they chose or marrying the person they loved. After our death our wills are binding, with family unable to arbitrarily claim the house even if we have decided to leave it to the local cat charity. As someone whose life has been saved by a transplant, it has always amazed me that the greatest gift of all, life itself, is not shown the same level of respect. | It is a fact of family life that relatives will occasionally disagree, sometimes vehemently. Most of us would cast a dim view on families that tried to prevent their children, parents or siblings praying to the God they chose or marrying the person they loved. After our death our wills are binding, with family unable to arbitrarily claim the house even if we have decided to leave it to the local cat charity. As someone whose life has been saved by a transplant, it has always amazed me that the greatest gift of all, life itself, is not shown the same level of respect. |
| I am hugely supportive of the decision by NHS Blood and Transplant to change how it approaches conversations with family members whose loved one was signed up to the organ donor register but I fear it does not go far enough. | I am hugely supportive of the decision by NHS Blood and Transplant to change how it approaches conversations with family members whose loved one was signed up to the organ donor register but I fear it does not go far enough. |
| The NHS is exploring ideas to reduce dissent from families facing this scenario. It is proposing a leaflet that explains individual consent and not formally asking for families to give authorisation. It may also follow Scotland’s lead in asking families to sign a written form stating why they have retracted consent. However, although welcome, these measures will still allow the wishes of the family to override that of the deceased. | The NHS is exploring ideas to reduce dissent from families facing this scenario. It is proposing a leaflet that explains individual consent and not formally asking for families to give authorisation. It may also follow Scotland’s lead in asking families to sign a written form stating why they have retracted consent. However, although welcome, these measures will still allow the wishes of the family to override that of the deceased. |
| As devastating as the death of a loved one is, does deep grief and shock mean that the feelings of a family should be given priority over the wishes of the person who has died? I see organ donation as one of the very last gifts that a person, within their lifetime, can plan to offer and I don’t believe anyone should have the right to remove that final gesture of altruism. Legally, consent from the next of kin is not required if someone registered their decision to donate on the NHS organ donor register – isn’t it our obligation to also morally honour that decision? | As devastating as the death of a loved one is, does deep grief and shock mean that the feelings of a family should be given priority over the wishes of the person who has died? I see organ donation as one of the very last gifts that a person, within their lifetime, can plan to offer and I don’t believe anyone should have the right to remove that final gesture of altruism. Legally, consent from the next of kin is not required if someone registered their decision to donate on the NHS organ donor register – isn’t it our obligation to also morally honour that decision? |
| Since 2010, bereaved families have blocked organ donations from 547 registered donors that could have provided organs for 1,200 patients. As a double lung transplant recipient I know what this gift of life truly means. My transplant has completely transformed my life. I recently celebrated my 35th birthday, which I would never have reached if it wasn’t for my donor. But in these cases of overridden consent, I feel most sympathy for the 547 people who were denied the opportunity to leave this Earth in the way they had planned. We often talk about potential recipients missing out on their second chance at life, but what about the donors who missed their chance to save one? | Since 2010, bereaved families have blocked organ donations from 547 registered donors that could have provided organs for 1,200 patients. As a double lung transplant recipient I know what this gift of life truly means. My transplant has completely transformed my life. I recently celebrated my 35th birthday, which I would never have reached if it wasn’t for my donor. But in these cases of overridden consent, I feel most sympathy for the 547 people who were denied the opportunity to leave this Earth in the way they had planned. We often talk about potential recipients missing out on their second chance at life, but what about the donors who missed their chance to save one? |
| Something has gone wrong with the way our country is able to discuss organ donation and the spectre that lies behind it | Something has gone wrong with the way our country is able to discuss organ donation and the spectre that lies behind it |
| I may sound overly critical towards families faced with this situation but I recognise this debate is happening because ultimately something has gone wrong with the way our country is able to discuss organ donation and the spectre that lies behind it: death. These families are not alone in struggling to accept organ donation. Despite 90% of the UK population believing donating an organ is the right thing to do, the UK has one of the highest refusal rates among developed countries. Nearly 50% of families say no to donation when the wishes of the individual are not known. This is not something that is inherent in the British DNA though. Spain’s National Transplant Organisation has found that when British expats are approached in Spanish hospitals, the family refusal rate drops to 9%. | I may sound overly critical towards families faced with this situation but I recognise this debate is happening because ultimately something has gone wrong with the way our country is able to discuss organ donation and the spectre that lies behind it: death. These families are not alone in struggling to accept organ donation. Despite 90% of the UK population believing donating an organ is the right thing to do, the UK has one of the highest refusal rates among developed countries. Nearly 50% of families say no to donation when the wishes of the individual are not known. This is not something that is inherent in the British DNA though. Spain’s National Transplant Organisation has found that when British expats are approached in Spanish hospitals, the family refusal rate drops to 9%. |
| The NHS needs to continue its admirable work to drive up organ donation by better understanding what makes British families say no to donation and work to change the discussions that are happening in society at large, not just those within a hospital setting. Many of us know that we should talk to our families about our organ donation wishes, but how many of us have a clue about how to start that conversation? | The NHS needs to continue its admirable work to drive up organ donation by better understanding what makes British families say no to donation and work to change the discussions that are happening in society at large, not just those within a hospital setting. Many of us know that we should talk to our families about our organ donation wishes, but how many of us have a clue about how to start that conversation? |
| If we could openly discuss donation without feeling squeamish and upset, then perhaps we would feel less distraught if faced with a decision about organ donation, less likely to dissent and more able as a society to feel comfortable enforcing the law around individual consent. | If we could openly discuss donation without feeling squeamish and upset, then perhaps we would feel less distraught if faced with a decision about organ donation, less likely to dissent and more able as a society to feel comfortable enforcing the law around individual consent. |
| • To sign the organ donor register visit: organdonation.nhs.uk | • To sign the organ donor register visit: organdonation.nhs.uk |
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