Organ donation again
Monday, 14 January 2008 01:01 pmSo Gordon Brown is having another try at introducing an opt-out system for organ donation. I'm curious to see what people think about this issue, hence a poll. The BBC is currently publishing various comments, of which not many seem that reasonable to me. It's a highly emotional issue, granted, but good grief, is the general public really like that?
[Poll #1120984]
My own view is that yes, the priority is to get enough organ donors, but I'd prefer to see other measures introduced before using an opt-out system. How difficult would it be to make sure that everyone got access to an organ donation consent form at some point, say by making sure they filled one out when registering with a GP or getting a driving licence? I spent years vaguely meaning to sign up as an organ donor and didn't do it until I was going out with someone whose mother was only alive because of a kidney transplant, and who was very passionate about the issue. I think that if the vast pool of people who vaguely mean to but haven't got around to it yet were tapped, that would solve the shortfall in donors.
[Poll #1120984]
My own view is that yes, the priority is to get enough organ donors, but I'd prefer to see other measures introduced before using an opt-out system. How difficult would it be to make sure that everyone got access to an organ donation consent form at some point, say by making sure they filled one out when registering with a GP or getting a driving licence? I spent years vaguely meaning to sign up as an organ donor and didn't do it until I was going out with someone whose mother was only alive because of a kidney transplant, and who was very passionate about the issue. I think that if the vast pool of people who vaguely mean to but haven't got around to it yet were tapped, that would solve the shortfall in donors.
