Organ donation “opt-out” consultation

The government plans to change the organ donation system to an ‘opt-out’ system and want to find out what people think of how the changes should be made.

Please visit: https://engage.dh.gov.uk/organdonation/ to give your views. Closes at 11.59pm on 6 March 2018

People who donate their organs and tissue after they die help save thousands of lives in England each year. However, 3 people die a day due to a lack of suitable organs. Although 8 out of 10 people say they would want to donate their organs and tissue after their death, most people never register to be organ donors.

Under current rules in England, a person who has died can only be an organ donor if they have agreed to it when they were alive, usually by joining the organ donor register or telling their family. People can also ‘opt out’ of organ donation or choose someone to make the decision for them when they have died. If the law changes, people will be considered willing to be an organ donor unless they have opted out. This would increase the number of organs donated and save more lives. People who do not want to donate their organs after their death would have to ‘opt out’. This consultation is to ask you what think about how the new rules could work.

There are 9 questions. In the consultation, you are asked for your views and any evidence you might have about:

a) costs to the health system and society for people who have had transplants

b) quality of life for people who have had transplants, and quality of life for their friends and family

c) costs to the health system and society for people who need a transplant but have not yet had one

d) quality of life for people who need a transplant but have not had one, and quality of life for their friends and family

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