Topic: Australia to make organ donation mandatory.
HaikerensGuide !dBGi/iH4eY started this discussion 12 years ago#35,604
'Thousands of Australians die each year while waiting for donor organs to become available - something that Minister for Health Peter Dutton calls "a national tragedy."
"It's bad enough that these people die" he said to reporters, "but the fact that they die due to a shortage of donor organs is a national disgrace. That's why we are planing to radically change the way Australia handles organ donation."
Currently, Australians who wish to donate organs must "opt in" by volunteering either on their driver's license or by filling out an organ donation card. But new rules that take effect in September will make organ donation automatic, with hospitals no longer requiring prior permission from a donor, or the consent of family. Those who do not wish to donate must "opt out" by registering their non-consent with the Department of Health. According to the Minister, this will triple the number of donor organs available.
"Dead people don't need organs" he said bluntly. "It's just selfish not to donate. By making donation the default option we will be able to harvest from those people too lazy or thoughtless to tick the organ donation box on their license application."
New legislation, to be brought before Parliament by the end of the year, would take things a step further by restricting the right to "opt out" of donation. "Only those people with a genuine and strongly held religious belief or other moral stance against donation will be able to opt out" said Mr Dutton. "All others will have their organs harvested whether they like it or not. It is simply unacceptable that any Australian can pass a death sentence on another by refusing to be a donor".
He said that the new legislation, if passed, would make Australia a "world leader" in the area of organ donation.'