| Here's
how the system works now: |
| An
individual who wants to be an Organ Donor must "opt-in"
- by signing a Donor Card, checking the box on their Driver's License,
or by signing up with a State Donor Registry. When a person dies in
circumstances that might permit Organ Donation, someone from the local
Organ Procurement Organization(OPO) approaches the family about Organ
Donation. If their loved one had not discussed Organ Donation with
them, they all too often decline to give consent. Sometimes they decline
even when they know their loved one's wish was to be a donor. Often,
even in states that have "first person consent" laws, the
family is allowed to override the individual's wishes. |
| Here's
how the system would work under Presumed Consent: |
| An
individual who does not want to be an Organ Donor would have to "opt-out"
by entering their name on a National Registry maintained by OPTN -
the same organization that now keeps the National Waiting List of
transplant candidates. When a person died under circumstances that
would permit Organ Donation, a search would be made of the Registry.
If their name did not appear in the Registry, it would be presumed
they had consented to be a Donor. While the family would be advised
of this information, their consent would not be required, and no one
would be allowed to override the donation. |
| Here's
why we think Presumed Consent would be better: |
|
|
Presumed
Consent enhances the right of an individual to decide what will
happen after they die. |
|
|
Presumed
Consent works well in other countries where it has been instituted
- Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, France,
Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Latvia,
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Poland,
Greece, and Singapore - where the opt-out rate has been around
2%. |
|
|
Tracking
the 2% who don't wish to be Donors would be easier than tracking
the 98% who do wish to be Donors or don't care. |
|
|
Presumed
Consent preserves the American spirit of unselfishness and altruism. |
|
|
Presumed
Consent would remove the burden of making a decision about Organ
Donation from families already dealing with the traumatic death
of a loved one. |
|
|
Presumed
Consent could be implemented quickly, easily, and relatively
inexpensively by working within the framework of the existing
Organ Donation system. |
|
|
Presumed
Consent could have a dramatic impact on the number of organs
available for transplant, significantly reducing the Waiting
List and the number of deaths on the waiting list, as well as
relieving the pain and suffering of thousands. |
|
Click
here for a summary of a poll taken on behalf
of the Presumed Consent Foundation
|
