On Friday MPs could transform lives by voting in favour of Max's Law
The British Heart Foundation’s Chief Executive Simon Gillespie urges MPs to support Max’s Law, calling for an opt-out system for organ donation.
This Friday, we have a unique opportunity to change the future of organ donation in this country and save hundreds more lives. On the 26 October, I urge MPs to support the Deemed Consent (Organ Donation) Bill, or Max’s Law, and vote for it as it goes through the next parliamentary stage to becoming law.
For critically ill heart patients across England, a new heart offers the best chance of staying alive. However, the reality is that for too many people their time runs out before that heart is found.
The Private Members’ Bill known as Max’s Law, which will introduce an opt-out organ donation system will provide long-awaited hope for the thousands of people currently on the transplant waiting list in England, and their families.
That’s why we, the British Heart Foundation, are supporting the introduction of a soft opt-out system for organ donation in England. This would mean that everyone is considered an organ donor unless they state otherwise.
Looking internationally, the vast majority of countries with the highest organ donation rates have an opt-out system in place. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests this will raise the number of organ donations.
By introducing an opt-out system, England will be following countries with leading rates of donation including Spain, Croatia and Portugal. It’s vital we look at the experiences in these countries to understand how this change can reach its true life-saving potential.
While the change in law is a critical first step to increasing the number of organs available, legislation alone is not enough.
A wide-ranging communications strategy must be put in place to encourage greater awareness of organ donation, so that people understand the need to talk to their family about their wishes, but also so that people who are strongly against donation know how to opt-out if they wish.
We must also do more to engage BAME communities, who have traditionally both higher rates of heart disease and lower rates of donation.
And, we need a health system that can cope efficiently and effectively with these changes to ensure that organ donation becomes a routine feature of everyday hospital practice.
I believe this historic step toward a soft opt-out system for organ donation, along with a package of measures that support the legislation to its fullest, is the key to saving more lives
On Friday 26 October, MPs have the opportunity to help transform lives and make history by voting in favour of Max’s Law. Without this crucial support from MPs, this law might never become a reality.
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