Organ donation should be opt out.

[m1nniedriver]

Just that really. If people have strong feelings on the matter then they are free to opt out, I really fail to see the issue with it.

Three people every day die because they didn't get a transplant in time.
Opt in/opt out whatever; the goal is to stop people dying for want of an organ.
Sign up for the register. Talk to your families about it so that it isn't a difficult decision.
It truly was not a difficult decision for me. I knew my husband wanted to donate his organs and it gives me great comfort to know that he helped others.

cross post knapp!
Fingers crossed for you

I haven't RTFT but agree that opt out is probably not the best idea due to bodily autonomy reasons but I think people forget what a matter of life and death it is for people who need a transplant. I do think the need of someone who needs a transplant trumps the need of a family who vetoes the deceased's wishes.

I don't understand why some people choose to only donate specific organs - it's not like kidneys stop working after death but corneas don't. All organs stop working after death, and are all useful so why give some people the gift of life but not others? It seems pretty selfish.

I signed up to the donor register via my Advantage Card. I agree that being able to sign up via passport or driving license is a good idea - it needs to be made easier.

Thanks WhereDoAll you said what I had rambled about in a far shorter and clearer way!

My sister was a very sick child and nearly died several times. A kidney transplant saved her life. I visited her the day after the operation and her face was peaches and cream and her eyes were sparkling. The day before her op she was sickly grey and her eyes were dull.

I think organ donation should be compulsory.

Also Shiney and Knapp.

Just read someone's post about ticking a box yes/no when registering for medical care - great idea.

Thanks Hopeful
I really do think that is the key, normalising donation and prompting people to make a positive informed choice and share that choice with their relatives. If only there could be a national campaign to raise awareness.......

*It will be interesting to see what happens in Wales when the new law comes in. I'm hoping loads of people opt out, and the donation level goes down

I will also like to see if any clinical staff would actually go against relatives' wishes. I bet none will*

I didn't see your post shiny but surely it couldn't have been worse that the above. What a disgusting thing to say!!!!! .

Medical staff frequently have to go against the wishes of grieving relatives, doesn't mean they don't care. I'm speechless that no one has picked you up on that post psuedo. Hoping innocent people die to prove your point? You sound lovely!!

Shiney, sometimes posters get it wrong and even MNHQ make mistakes too.

It sounds like you're very very tired, and this has awoken an old pain for you, which must be really horrid as well as feeling misinterpreted. I didn't see your post but people here have pointed out what you meant. Please don't deactivate your account, just have a cup of tea, write them an email, and wait for proper business hours to get a reply.

And I'm sorry for your loss

(Not to suggest that you weren't "still" in pain still over the loss btw, just that I've found certain things can bring mine right back to the surface like it's happening all over again) x

My son received a kidney in February. He is really doing well and we are incredibly grateful to the relatives for allowing it.

He and I still believe in people having a choice, be it the relatives or donor themselves pre death.

It was extremely emotional receiving an organ knowing some brave people have allowed that, I think it would have been horrible to know they had been forced into it.

What is needed is more education and information to encourage people to make the decision to donate possibly at a dreadful time.

Sorry MN but I think you owe shiney an apology in this instance.

shiney - I would try to avoid taking it so personally. The moderators on MN have an ENORMOUS volume of traffic to work through when so many things get reported. There are bound to be things that get deleted when they shouldn't have been due to quick mis reads, etc.

It is indeed fucked up that Pseudo's post, which implied that the loss of life associated with reduced donation levels would really stick it to the man, has not been deleted. Yet Shineys post, which was a response to this, saying that she hoped donation levels didn't decrease and that loved ones died as a result, is deleted and causing real distress.

How can we draw MN's attention to this thread? Report their own post?

To all those people on here who have lost someone or recieved organ donations. and hugs for you regardless of what our different opinions are.

I reported Mumsnet's post. Nicely, I hope, because OliviaMumsnet is generally fab, so I'm assuming there was a misunderstanding or mistake involved.

Hi all - by the looks of things, Shiney's post has been misunderstood. We're really sorry about this and we'll reinstate the post now. Thanks for reporting

Hoping innocent people die to prove your point?

Not to prove a point, no. To protect people's right to autonomy and not have the State make decisions on their behalf. I don't want more people to die, but that is what could potentially happen when this new law comes in. A lot of people feel strongly about it, and may opt out. It may also cause distressed relatives to become even more protective after their loved one has died, especially if the clinical staff are pressurising them not to say no, having the reverse effect than that intended by the do-gooders.

And I don't literally hope innocent people will die, but if that happens, it will not be the fault of those opting out, it will be the fault of the Government of Wales for meddling with people's lives and introducing the opt-out law in the first place.

Pseudo For clarity, I wasn't actually objecting to your post. I understood the point you were making!

Thank you, Mumsnet

It might be helpful to repeat an earlier post of mine at this stage:

If your family or appointed representatives cannot be contacted, donation will not proceed

This is the devil in the detail of the Welsh system. The presumption is fundamentally unchanged; unless your family can give the green light for harvesting of organs, donation WILL NOT proceed

Wales is not implementing a system whereby organs will be removed unless the putative donor has opted out. Next of kin will still have to be consulted and their consent sought. If they can't even be found, no organs can be removed.

It's erroneous to call the Welsh system an opt-out system. It's really nothing of the sort, and fundamentally no different from the English, Scottish or Northern Irish system.

Please, don't anyone waste any emotional energy on an erroneous factual basis.

Wales IS implementing an opt-out system. Otherwise, why change the law?