MSP in plea on organ donation reform
Labour MSP Anne McTaggart told Holyrood’s health Committee that her Transplantation Bill was “absolutely” necessary as the current opt-in arrangement “is not working”.
The legislation proposes a move from a system in which people have to actively join the NHS Organ Donation Register to a ‘’soft’’ opt-out approach in an effort to tackle a shortage of organs.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdUnder the new system, the family of the deceased will be asked if they had expressed any objections during their lifetime.
Ms McTaggart told the committee: “We do need to increase transplantation.
“The first-quarter figures for this year show that we are heading for an even bigger decrease in deceased donor rates of 10%.
“We have to do something different, whatever we are doing just now is not working.
“International evidence shows us that a 25% to 30% increase will happen if we move to a soft opt-out system.”
Under the plans, organs and tissues could be removed from an adult after death if they had not registered or expressed an objection during their lifetime.