Donation of organs 'should be automatic' upon death

[LittleLupin]

Story here

"People should automatically have their organs removed for transplant after they die unless they opted out while alive, Britain's most senior doctor is expected to say tomorrow in his annual report."

Sounds like a good idea to me.

but we're not talking about the ethics or success rate of transplants here, we're talking about organ donation. If I thought there was a one in a million chance that my heart might give someone else a few extra years after I've finished with it then that's good enough.

And where do patients on ventilators come into it? Surely no-one's talking about harvesting organs from the living without their consent?

because I am opposed to that

slayerette, the body has to be kept 'alive' on vent til lthe organs can be retirieved. patient must be brain dead, verified by two docs and tests.

Madeyemisdee I'm not too sure how I can promote donorcards myself ,but for a governemnt or a tv channel it mus be pretty easy ? the thing that prompted me and dh to get our cards was a programme we watched about 20 years ago ,thats all it took.
I'm out with my mates tonight for an italian and I will ask all of them but I'm sure they al do carry one already

I think that when you remove an element of choice in something as emotive as this issue, you risk building up resentment to it.
And the sad end result of that is likely to be less people agreeing to organ donation.
I am on the donor register, but respect the rights of those who don't want to be - whatever their reasoning, and however irrational their choice may seem to me.

Ah - that makes sense. I thought nailpolish was talking about patients in comas or persistent vegetative states, hence being rather disturbed by the image that conjured up...

on uktranspalnt there are packs you can ask for, put the cards in your place of work ,at yur GP surgery, favourite local shop, set u[p a stall at summer fayres, carnoivals, festovals etc. loads of way fo doing it.

i wasnt able to do anything this year, but last year was talking to people in shops, and handing out cards and leaflets. i even put window stickers on dh room at the hospital, which are still there now.

show this video to as many people as you can

I would support it - I think in the short term it is a culture shift that might cause problems but in the long term I think it would because pretty standard and people would know that they needed to opt out if they felt strongly about it.

I can;t (in the short term at least) really see the UK going the same way as the US and the NHS selling body parts. We are a long way off their kind of healthcare system (please god).

Disagreing on the basis of what "might" happen in future is slightly strange. CAn anyone live their life like that?

Lives aren't always improved by transplant but most are and most people waiting would try anything.

yes noddyholder, attempt to live or die? thats the choice we have.

It is live or die there are no in betweens with this.Long term machines is just not a life for most people.A transplant is a real hope of even a few years of normality.I perfectly respect that not everyone wants to but please don't try and put a negative spin on this for those who do.

It depends what kind of transplant it is to be honest. A heart and lung transplant carries very high risks for example. My friends sister has had two liver transplants and that has also come at a cost, but luckily it has added 10 years to her life where death would have been the only alternative.

I think it also depends on the amount of health complications you have prior to the transplant too as to whther your quality of life will actually improve, or whether it will just give youa few more years. For some its more straightforward than for others.

I definately think opt out is a better system though, but I do feel they will need to be very clear about it all.

Why are some posters on here complaining about the 'choice' being taken away. That is not what is being proposed. You would still have the choice, the only difference would be that you would actively choice not to donate rather than the current system of actively choosing to donate.

Nobody has suggested the government take away your right to choose.

Patients have to be maintained on a ventilator to keep their organs alive so that they can be removed while still viable. The person is brain dead already at that point, and if they were not ventilated, would die almost immediatly.

trials have been done on the use of kidneys removed from non ventilated latients, but IIRC these were not sucessful.

I am full in favour of an opt out system. I also feel that the choice should rest with the person who intends to donate their organs after death, and thier wishes should not be overturned by members of their family

I know, MB, but it's a fairly gruesome prospect to contemplate in theory, let aone in practice. The patient still looks 'alive' to the family, I guess.

I'm pro organ donation, but think some of the people who are very enthusiastic about opt out are failing to take into account how people feel when they are actually in this situation. Presumed consent would not help, I believe. Can imagine families suspecting the motives of doctors, for instance, which would not be good.

Obviously it must be stressful beyond understanding for the familes concered. It just seems sad that the wishes of the deccied person can currently be overturned by their (totaly understanably) distraught families. That last wishes of a person regarding organ donation (either way) should, I think, be honoured.

everything about a close family member dying is gruesome though. I would be fine with assumed consent, but then I can't imagine a situation where I wouldn't want to donate.

I just don't get this idea that the choice is being taken away. It isn't. You would still have the choice, except now you would choose not to donate your organs instead of choosing to donate them.

I think the issue here is that people don't want to have to choose, because most people don't want to think that they might die prematurely.

I think that most people don't bother to put their names on the register because they think it probably won't happen to them, so they could do it next week, next month, in 10 years - and then it could be too late and the decision could be taken out of their hands when their relatives decide they don't want their organs donated.

But if someone felt strongly enough that they didn't want their organs donated, they would make the effort to opt out, imo anyway.

I think it's good that people are debating about this it is certainly raising the profile of organ donation, which is then point of it all after all.

My mum and dad couldn't bear to donate my 5 year old sisters organs when she died but grief is always a hard thing to deal with and you handle it the best way you can.

(She was misdiagnosed and had meningitis and the way the dr concerned dealt with it afterwards was to post some valium through my mums door.)

I don't think any of us can stand in judgement of another's decision when we can't possibly know what it's like to stand in their shoes.

I understand Loobeloo and although I am pro-opting out rather than in, I wouldn't question anyone who chose to opt out.

what a good idea.

Anyone can have any part of me they like. They can make me into sausages for all I care. But for some reason I don't understand I cannot say the same about dcs.

Presumed consent doesn't mean you'd have a choice though. I'm bloody sure there would be cases where the hospital would go 'woops, we looked up the wrong record'. Records go missing all the time in the NHS (as in other organisations). It's the assumption that your body belongs to the state unless you say otherwise that I think is dangerous.

I am pro the opt out system

My cousin's LO died around 2 years ago when he contracted an infection whilst undergoing a 'minor' procedure (was waiting for a transplant after he had a heart attack ante natally)

he was almost 6 and had just started school

The aprents marriage didnt survive, and the other children ahve ahd a horrid time through that as well as the loss of their dalring brother, its been aterrible time for all concerned

I totally agree with this proposal - there is no question of choice being taken away, because it would be very easy to opt out.

It would solve the problem of all the millions of people who "keep meaning to register" and haven't got around to it yet.

Asking questions about organ donation to recently bereaved families is an obscene thing to do and there must be loads of people whose gut reaction was to say "no" but when they've had a bit of time to think about it, and accepted the loss of their loved one a bit more have regretted their decision not to donate. Unfortunately it's too late by then.