This week I've decided to write on my own topic.
I came to read an item on the Guardian a week ago when I was
deliberating about how I feel with the topic I'm contributing to for our group
assignment. France introduced an opt-out policy on organ donation, meaning an
individual's decision on whether they donate their organs is now considered a
'presumed consent'. This is a pretty big deal and has the potential to
increase global donation levels dramatically.
Individual autonomy recognises that a person should be able to live
their life according to their own motives and reasons, free from manipulation
so this change in law challenges that ideal. Fortunately for those that
choose to, there is a 'refusal register' and since this law was passed 150,000
people have signed up. Previously, doctors had to consult families if the
individual had not expressed a desire either way so presumed consent takes care
of that and takes the onus off the family members, especially during traumatic
times.
The United Kingdom has one of the lowest consent rates in Europe, citing
that the biggest obstacle still remains relatives' vetoes; one of our other
group subjects. The opt-out may be further extended that if an individual
belongs to the register then family will no longer even be asked. As it
is, in Scotland, family must complete a retraction form that records the reason
they decided to veto their relative's decision.
When this news hit Australia, Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA) said
Australia was unlikely to follow suit due to the culturally sensitive issues
surrounding the multicultural and multi-faith of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities. Transplant chief exec Chris Thomas explained that
"compulsorily acquiring" organs denigrates the altruistic acts of
donating into a "system of mistrust and misunderstanding".
While there are no such laws in New Zealand, this may change in the not
too distant future as New Zealand has an extremely low donation rate and so I
assume they will be keeping a close eye on the happenings in France after this
latest law change. Whether the low numbers are as a direct result of
culture, religion or being uneducated about the facts of organ donation, it
will be extremely interesting to see what the results from our survey can tell
us.
Buzacott-Speer, E. & Seselia, E. (2017). Opt-out organ donation
unlikely to become reality in Australia
despite international trend. Retrieved January 2017 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-04/australia-unlikely-to-follow-opt-out-organ-donation-policy/8160718
Willsher, K. (2017). France introduces opt-out policy on organ donation.
Retrieved January 2017
from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/02/france-organ-donation-law
5 comments:
Hi Marina,
I like that you chose to write about your own thing this week!
It was really interesting to read about the policies other parts of the world have. A few weeks ago I would never have thought it would differ so much in different places.
I was surprised when I heard that France had introduced and opt-out system but I think it's a really good idea. There's a lot of people that would be organ donors but they haven't registered. Even in our survey results we have one person who said they're not registered to donate because they don't know how. An opt-out rule would automatically solve that kind of problem.
Hi Marina,
Your blog post was very interesting. It's great how it brought in some current headlines regarding our topic. A great reminder of how relevant it all is!
It does seem to be a bit of a problem educating people on all the facts, even just the basics of how to make their wishes to be a donor known if they don't have a drivers license. It will be interesting to see how New Zealand ultimately decides to combat those issues.
I'm really keen to have a more in-depth look at the data from our survey. From the quick look I had last night, it looks like it will be very interesting!
Cheers,
Michelle
Hey Marina,
I'm glad you wrote about France, it was something I read about any paid attention to as it related to my topic. It's also something I've become quite passionate about, I think almost by default.
I like the presumed consent idea, it'll force lots of people to educate themselves about organ donation and they won't get off their butts to register as a non-donor unless they research it properly to make an informed decision.
In saying that, I was talking to a very wise uncle of my partner who has studied theology and ethics in depth last night. He totally opened my eyes to a new viewpoint on the whole ethical thing and made me re-think everything I've put on paper. We could have sat there and discussed all night, but he told me to go back to the office, make a simple argument that will pass this damn assignment with a good grade and we can discuss ethics another time.
I guess I'm saying that we can always be surprised at how little we know, and knowing how little I know makes me feel a little more human and complete (that might not make sense).
Floyd
Floyd
Incredibly interesting blog Marina!
That is so interesting and i wonder if NZ will follow suit, or when the low donation numbers will actually be seriously looked at at a policy level. The presumed consent law would definitely increase numbers and then atleast the majority of the population will be informed about organ donation rather than so many being uninformed as they are now. Good to see cultural considerations taken into account too.
Keep up the great work
Jess
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