MOTHER CALLS FOR CHANGE IN LAW ON ORGAN DONATIONS

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I totally agree with this CF mom! And if someone from Europe knows which

country has an opt-out system already, I would be very interested to know

that.

Peace

Torsten, dad of Fiona 6wcf and Sebastian newborn wocf

e-mail: torstenkrafft@...

Subject: MOTHER CALLS FOR CHANGE IN LAW ON ORGAN DONATIONS

MOTHER CALLS FOR CHANGE IN LAW ON ORGAN DONATIONS

A Westcountry mother who fears her daughter could have only a few years

left to live is planning to lobby the Government for a radical change in

organ donations.

Meredith, 47, from Totnes, is calling for an " opt-out " organ

donor register, which will involve everyone being an automatic donor

unless they choose otherwise.

Under the present system individuals " opt in " to donate their organs

after death by carrying a donor card.

But Mrs Meredith believes that only 15 per cent of the population are

willing to get involved in the current register.

Instead Mrs Meredith, whose ten-year-old daughter suffers from the

life-threatening genetic condition cystic fibrosis, wants the Government

to change to the law to the " opt-out " system. She believes this will

increase the number of people who donate their organs after death and

strengthen transplant services.

" At the moment the number of organs available for transplants is on the

decrease, " she said. " In 1998, 287 hearts were donated but last year

there were only 160. This shows that people are throwing away viable

organs because they haven't registered as a donor, but do not seem to

realise they could help save someone's life.

" will only be put on the transplant list when she is two years away

from dying. Already her kidneys are having trouble coping and her spleen

has doubled in size. I know she could need to go on that list very soon

but I don't want to wait until she is that position to try to find a

donor. "

Mrs Meredith has written to her local MP, Steen, to try to win

his support to lobby Government. Mr Steen, Conservative MP for Totnes,

realises 's case is very tragic and wants to do everything I can to

help her.

He said: " Mrs Meredith has been fighting for this change in the law for a

long time. is very beautiful and I can appreciate her mum's

situation, but we have to accept that everyone has their own point of

view when it comes to donations. Some people are probably a bit

suspicious that if we all give away our parts others will try to make

money out of it or are worried about the ethical standards attached to

it, but a change in the system is something we must all be concerned

about.

" Transplants could affect us all, and although we cannot change the law

at the moment we need to address people who have serious reservations

about the benefits of opting out. I will do everything to help her win

this case. "

The British Medical Association supports an " opt-out " donor scheme in the

UK and says it is people like Mrs Meredith who will highlight the reasons

why Britain needs more donors.

Dr Vivienne son, head of science and ethics at the BMA, said: " A

lot of people have difficulties knowing where to go to register to become

a donor at the moment, but if the 'opt-out' policy is applied, hospitals

will assume that an individual wishes to be a donor unless he or she has

registered their objection.

" In European countries which have already taken on this system it has

increased the number of donors up to 90 per cent of the population,

ensuring that more organs are available for transplants. We need this to

happen here. "

The BMA believe the shortage of organs is due to fewer fatal car

accidents because of seat belt legislation and air bags. But it said that

despite efforts to increase the donor pool by advertisements urging

people to carry donor cards have not been successful.

Studies show that around 70 per cent of the population are willing to

donate organs after their death, yet only 15 per cent of the population

are registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

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