Deemed Consent in Wales.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Organ transplants are very successful but the supply of organs is limited. Today Wales is taking the lead in the UK by proposing to implement a system of deemed consent for organ donation. In this scheme unless you have clearly stated that you do not want to donate your organs, you are deemed to have wanted to. It also means it's harder for a family to override a person's wishes to donate.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-23136965

Personally I'm in favour of the proposal and I'm already a registered organ donor.

I was however surprised to find out that more than 60% of organs donated in Wales make their way into English recipients (not sure what the flow is in the other direction), so are the Anglos just trying to harvest Welsh organs ?

[Jason]

Baa.

[PsychoSerenity]

I was however surprised to find out that more than 60% of organs donated in Wales make their way into English recipients (not sure what the flow is in the other direction), so are the Anglos just trying to harvest Welsh organs ?

That's probably just a mater of availability and compatibility. Organs have to go where they are needed when they are needed, and there are more people in England. You'd probably also find the majority of organs received in Wales come from English donors.

But yes, I wouldn't mind being automatically opted in. It would just mean I don't have to do it myself.

[Pappa]

I was however surprised to find out that more than 60% of organs donated in Wales make their way into English recipients (not sure what the flow is in the other direction), so are the Anglos just trying to harvest Welsh organs ?

That's probably just a mater of availability and compatibility. Organs have to go where they are needed when they are needed, and there are more people in England. You'd probably also find the majority of organs received in Wales come from English donors.

But yes, I wouldn't mind being automatically opted in. It would just mean I don't have to do it myself.

Indeed. Performing an organ transplant on oneself would be rather unwise.

[Cormac]

I detest the idea of presumed consent.

I am donating my corpse to the local university, and there it can be abused whatever way they like.

I'll probably instruct that they should first check if anyone needs a particular organ or other.

I am very much in favour of organ donation. But I think when the state starts to "assume" that you consent, it has stepped way over the line. The state does not own human bodies.

[PsychoSerenity]

The state does not own human bodies.

But what about human corpses? It certainly has a responsibility to make sure they are properly disposed of. Why shouldn't that include recycling?

[HomerJay]

I don't mind presumed consent, but the families should be able to ebay the bits.

[Jason]

Good point. Those organs are valuable. The family should be able to harvest and sell them.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Everybody and anybody has my persimmon to do whatever and whoever they like with my bits after I am dead. Just be gentle.

[Cormac]

The state does not own human bodies.

But what about human corpses? It certainly has a responsibility to make sure they are properly disposed of. Why shouldn't that include recycling?

We, the people, through the state, set down rules for the disposal of corpses. This does not involve a transfer of ownership to the state, even where the state has to dispose of an unclaimed body.

In presumed consent scenarios, we are talking, to all intents and purposes, of transfer of ownership, and I object to this.

I object to all circumstances where a third party presumes my consent - it is a theft of a basic freedom.

[JimC]

The state does not own human bodies.

But what about human corpses? It certainly has a responsibility to make sure they are properly disposed of. Why shouldn't that include recycling?

We, the people, through the state, set down rules for the disposal of corpses. This does not involve a transfer of ownership to the state, even where the state has to dispose of an unclaimed body.

In presumed consent scenarios, we are talking, to all intents and purposes, of transfer of ownership, and I object to this.

I object to all circumstances where a third party presumes my consent - it is a theft of a basic freedom.

To me, that only bites hard when you don't know about the situation, or when it is difficult to change it.

In the case of organ donation, if presumed consent were made very explicit by a strong ad campaign to inform the public, and it is made very easy to change your status to "No, thanks" by simply registering on-line, for example, then the benefits , for me, would outweigh any putative harm to my freedom.

[FBM]

"By dying, the undersigned agrees to the following terms and conditions..."

[rainbow]

I detest the idea of presumed consent.

There has to be a presumption one way or the other. This is the correct one.
Opt out if it bothers you.

Those that opt out should not ever be considered as candidates for an organ transplant.

[HomerJay]

Everybody and anybody has my persimmon to do whatever and whoever they like with my bits after I am dead. Just be gentle.

[JimC]

Everybody and anybody has my persimmon to do whatever and whoever they like with my bits after I am dead. Just be gentle.

Long, slow cooking may be required...