Why is organ donation mandatory?

By donating your organs and tissue after you die, you can save or improve as many as 75 lives. Many families say that knowing their loved one helped save or improve other lives helped them cope with their loss. It’s especially important to consider becoming an organ donor if you belong to an ethnic minority.

Is an opt-out system likely to increase organ donation?

A review of the research evidence indicates that opt-out legislation is associated with higher organ donation rates11,12,15,16.

Are there downsides to being an organ donor?

Cons. Organ donation is major surgery. All surgery comes with risks such as bleeding, infection, blood clots, allergic reactions, or damage to nearby organs and tissues. Although you will have anesthesia during the surgery as a living donor, you can have pain while you recover.

What is the difference between opt in and opt-out organ donation?

In an opt-out system for organ donation, dead donors’ consent is presumed (or “deemed”) unless there is evidence that they did not want to donate. Opt-in systems, as in England currently, require donors to give explicit consent while alive or require the family to consent. In both systems, families are still consulted.

Is organ donation mandatory anywhere?

Only one country, Iran has eliminated the shortage of transplant organs—and only Iran has a working and legal payment system for organ donation. It is also the only country where organ trade is legal.

Do any countries have mandatory organ donation?

Austria participates in the “opt-out” consent process, and have laws that make organ donation the default option at the time of death. Yet in countries such as U.S.A. and Germany, people must explicitly “opt in” if they want to donate their organs when they die.

What is the difference between the opt-in and opt-out organ donation systems?

What countries opt-out of organ donation?

However the countries with the greatest number of deceased donors per million population also have opt out systems, such as Portugal, Belgium, Croatia and Spain (The Welsh Government, 2012).

What is the controversy surrounding organ donation?

Three controversial issues surrounding the subject are conception for organ donation, donor consent, and transplants from terminally disabled INFANTS. In some instances, a child is conceived expressly for the purpose of using her organs for transplantation in another person, usually a blood relative.

What are the most common myths about organ donation?

Second, a common misunderstanding is that under current opt-in legislation ‘in order to be a donor you have to have opted in, by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR)’. Because only 36\% of the population have signed up there is a false belief that the other 64\% will never be donors, because they haven’t opted in.

What is the opt-out of organ donation?

Details. In countries such as Austria, laws make organ donation the default option at the time of death, and so people must explicitly “opt out” of organ donation. In these so-called opt-out countries, more than 90\% of people donate their organs. Yet in countries such as U.S. and Germany, people must explicitly “opt in” if they want…

What are the pros and cons of mandatory organ donation?

Pros: 1 Increase the pool of donors. 2 Automatic organ donation after death would speed up the process of transplantation and contribute to save lives, as doctors would not need to verify the consent status of potential donors. 3 Compulsory donation would help reduce the problem of illegal organ traffic.

Who makes the decision on organ donation after death?

Austria, as well as Spain – world leader in organ donations and transplants- and Belgium, have adopted an opt-out system which entails “presumed consent” from the deceassed donor. In the opt-out system, it is the deceased next of kin who ultimately make the decision on organ donation.