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The UK needs new organ donation law, and fast The UK needs new organ donation law, and fast
(3 months later)
This week Wales has become the first nation in the UK to give the go-ahead to an opt-out system for organ donation, in which consent is presumed unless you actively say no. But while Wales should be praised for its courage, its actions have instead been deemed controversial by campaign group Patient Concern, with reservations also expressed by members of the Muslim Council of Wales and the South Wales Jewish Representative Council, amongst other religious organisations.This week Wales has become the first nation in the UK to give the go-ahead to an opt-out system for organ donation, in which consent is presumed unless you actively say no. But while Wales should be praised for its courage, its actions have instead been deemed controversial by campaign group Patient Concern, with reservations also expressed by members of the Muslim Council of Wales and the South Wales Jewish Representative Council, amongst other religious organisations.
The decision taken by the Welsh government must be seen within the context of the organ donation crisis facing the UK. With the number of people needing transplants rising by 8% every year, and three people dying every day while waiting, the UK needs a dramatic change of course if lives are to be saved. I am one of the 10,500 people currently waiting for a transplant in the UK – I was born with cystic fibrosis, and without new lungs I'm unlikely to reach my mid-30s.The decision taken by the Welsh government must be seen within the context of the organ donation crisis facing the UK. With the number of people needing transplants rising by 8% every year, and three people dying every day while waiting, the UK needs a dramatic change of course if lives are to be saved. I am one of the 10,500 people currently waiting for a transplant in the UK – I was born with cystic fibrosis, and without new lungs I'm unlikely to reach my mid-30s.
An opt-out system has the potential to close the gap between the two-thirds of people who say they wish to donate after their death and the 31% of people who have actually got round to registering their intentions. Many European countries already have an opt-out system in some form or another, led by countries such as Spain, which currently performs more than double the number of transplants per year than the UK. Overall, in countries with presumed consent it is estimated that organ donation is 25-35% higher. Behind these statistics are real men, women and children whose deaths have been averted through transplants. I can only hope that I might be lucky enough to become one of them.An opt-out system has the potential to close the gap between the two-thirds of people who say they wish to donate after their death and the 31% of people who have actually got round to registering their intentions. Many European countries already have an opt-out system in some form or another, led by countries such as Spain, which currently performs more than double the number of transplants per year than the UK. Overall, in countries with presumed consent it is estimated that organ donation is 25-35% higher. Behind these statistics are real men, women and children whose deaths have been averted through transplants. I can only hope that I might be lucky enough to become one of them.
After decades of awareness campaigns that have only inched up the UK donor list, while in contrast the transplant waiting list has soared, it is clear that a change in legislation is urgently required. Indeed in April this year, Sally Johnson, the director of organ donation and transplantation in the NHS, warned that "there is only a limited amount more the NHS can do to offer further hope to those on the waiting list for an organ transplant" unless there is a "transformation in donor and family consent". The Welsh government's decision is not about the state owning someone's body – a rigorous and well-publicised system must be in place so that those who do not wish to donate after their death can easily opt-out. Instead it is about reframing the debate to help radically transform our cultural attitude to organ donation.After decades of awareness campaigns that have only inched up the UK donor list, while in contrast the transplant waiting list has soared, it is clear that a change in legislation is urgently required. Indeed in April this year, Sally Johnson, the director of organ donation and transplantation in the NHS, warned that "there is only a limited amount more the NHS can do to offer further hope to those on the waiting list for an organ transplant" unless there is a "transformation in donor and family consent". The Welsh government's decision is not about the state owning someone's body – a rigorous and well-publicised system must be in place so that those who do not wish to donate after their death can easily opt-out. Instead it is about reframing the debate to help radically transform our cultural attitude to organ donation.
We've been in this situation before. Back in 2006 when Scotland introduced a ban on smoking in enclosed public places it was deemed highly controversial, yet the rest of the UK soon followed and now it is widely accepted as a commonsense measure. The health benefits have been better than predicted: not only have heart attacks been cut by 2.4% but the number of people choosing to smoke in their private homes has decreased, resulting in a 12.3% reduction in children's hospital admissions for asthma in the first year following the ban. Propelled initially by legislation, our nation's social norms about indoor smoking have been dramatically altered, our attitudes shifting beyond even the limits of the law. Similar success could be achieved with organ donation.We've been in this situation before. Back in 2006 when Scotland introduced a ban on smoking in enclosed public places it was deemed highly controversial, yet the rest of the UK soon followed and now it is widely accepted as a commonsense measure. The health benefits have been better than predicted: not only have heart attacks been cut by 2.4% but the number of people choosing to smoke in their private homes has decreased, resulting in a 12.3% reduction in children's hospital admissions for asthma in the first year following the ban. Propelled initially by legislation, our nation's social norms about indoor smoking have been dramatically altered, our attitudes shifting beyond even the limits of the law. Similar success could be achieved with organ donation.
An opt-in system maintains the status quo as saying "no"; that it is standard to keep your organs after death, unusual to pass them on to save others. An opt-out system turns this on its head. It forces people to really think about what organ donation means, to start a conversation with their families and their loved ones, to ask, if the worst were to happen, would our grief be more bearable if we knew our partner, child or parent's last final act in this world was one of immense kindness towards a stranger?An opt-in system maintains the status quo as saying "no"; that it is standard to keep your organs after death, unusual to pass them on to save others. An opt-out system turns this on its head. It forces people to really think about what organ donation means, to start a conversation with their families and their loved ones, to ask, if the worst were to happen, would our grief be more bearable if we knew our partner, child or parent's last final act in this world was one of immense kindness towards a stranger?
It was with great sadness that I read that the archbishop of Wales said an opt-out system would stop donation being "an act of love". By helping to normalise the concept of giving life after a tragic death, an opt-out system could in fact embed in our national psyche the benefits of acting through love or altruism. By creating a national conversation and bringing organ donation to the forefront of our society, opt-out could, over time, come to epitomise the advantages of showing kindness to those beyond our social circle.It was with great sadness that I read that the archbishop of Wales said an opt-out system would stop donation being "an act of love". By helping to normalise the concept of giving life after a tragic death, an opt-out system could in fact embed in our national psyche the benefits of acting through love or altruism. By creating a national conversation and bringing organ donation to the forefront of our society, opt-out could, over time, come to epitomise the advantages of showing kindness to those beyond our social circle.
We now need politicians across the UK, not just Wales, to be brave enough to challenge outdated attitudes towards organ donation. Putting the law on the side of generosity of spirit should not be seen as controversial – lacking the leadership to make changes when citizens are needlessly dying should be.We now need politicians across the UK, not just Wales, to be brave enough to challenge outdated attitudes towards organ donation. Putting the law on the side of generosity of spirit should not be seen as controversial – lacking the leadership to make changes when citizens are needlessly dying should be.
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