Scottish Catholic Observer

Catholic Church leaders in Wales have led a united front of Christian opposition to what they called ‘ill-judged’ proposals for presumed consent rules on organ donation.

The Catholic Church in Wales led the Welsh Church and Wales Orthodox Mission in urging the Welsh Government to revisit its policy process, which could see every Welsh person be assumed to be an organ donor within three years.

The Welsh Government’s actions could have serious implications for Scotland as the country’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, has previously indicated his support for presumed support legislation dependant on a similar system being in place in other parts of the UK.

Welsh commitment

In a joint statement, the Welsh Churches said they were ‘profoundly committed’ to human dignity in life and death but had serious concerns about the coercive nature of the Welsh Government’s proposed

legislation.

“Pastors, theologians and church leaders of all denominations agree that offering organs for donation is a significant act of charity, and a reflection of God’s freely-given love and care for us, including the gift of life,” the statement said. “The positive ethos of donation as a free gift is endangered by an ill-judged if well intentioned proposal to move from voluntary donation to presumed consent.

“It is of extreme concern that while responses are being invited on the proposals in the White Paper, the central proposal, which is the shift from donation to presumed consent, is presented as a fait accompli. There is a real danger that a change in the law would alienate a significant proportion of the public and undermine the positive image of organ donation and the reputation of Wales.”

The statement from the churches also warns that ‘the belief that changing from opt-in to opt-out would improve the rate of transplantation is not justified by the available evidence.’

“It should not be taken for granted that changing the law to a system of opt-out/presumed consent would increase the availability of organs for transplantation,” it says. “The most effective way to increase rates of both organ donation and family agreement to donation after death is to encourage people to sign the Organ Donation Register and to talk about the issue with relatives and those close to them. Any move that weakens the Organ Donation Register and leaves relatives unsure of what the deceased would have wanted is likely to increase refusal rates among relatives.”

Debate

The Welsh Government has said it wanted as many people as possible to join the debate on the matter.

Welsh Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said she was confident in the consultation process.

“There are still two weeks to go before the consultation closes and I want as many people to be part of this process as possible,” she said. “If you have not done so already, let us know what you think of these proposals. This is an exciting time. We are making Welsh history and all who make their opinions known in this consultation are part of that history.”

In 2007, Alex Salmond said he backed the idea of a system of presumed consent and a motion saying the same was passed by the SNP annual conference.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Health Secretary and Deputy First Minister has said she is ‘sympathetic’ to the idea of presumed consent provided it is part of a broader system across the UK.