Brown backs donor debate

[Mexicano Rojo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7186007.stm

Obviously I have a vested interest in this issue, but was wondering what poeples views were. Do any of you actually carry a donor card?  Do you think there should be presumed consent?

[mattboyslim]

Yep, I think if you're passionately opposed you'll make your feelings known, there is so much more good to come out of donation, they are much more use to someone else than you if you're dead, without wishing to state the bleeding obvious.  Too often people become irrational in grief, and if it were me I'd like to think my death hadn't been in vain and that someone else's family wouldn't have to face the same as mine.

[Chubbs]

i wouldn't have any qualms about being put on a doner list if i had the option to opt out of it. (i wouldnt tho) as i have a donor card (not that anyone would want my kidneys :-) )

I dont see a problem, its not hard to say "no, take me off the list" i think it would help people in such positions.

[lebowski]

as much as i support this, i don't think you can go down the line of presumed consent. the current "opt in" scheme is right, and as it should be.

i think it would be a good idea for banks and credit card companies to offer cards with the donor symbol on, as people are more likely to be carrying a cash card than the current donor card.

[Mexicano Rojo]

as much as i support this, i don't think you can go down the line of presumed consent. the current "opt in" scheme is right, and as it should be.

i think it would be a good idea for banks and credit card companies to offer cards with the donor symbol on, as people are more likely to be carrying a cash card than the current donor card.

The main issues with the current opt in scheme are two fold.  Firstly the transplant list is getting longer each year, and waiting times are growing considerably. This links into the second issue, economics. It costs the NHS £85,000 a year to keep me alive, the savings if i get a transplant are huge. there are currently over 8000 people on transplant waiting lists, you do the maths.

[Sussex]

It costs the NHS £85,000 a year to keep me alive

This makes me sad.  

EDIT: Yes I do carry a donor card. Don't know if anything is worth retrieving though.

[axs]

Why don't they send out a national mailshot for opting in? I've never been asked to opt in for donation, I've had to make the effort to do it by going online and ordering a form. If everyone was asked over the course of the next year you could probably double the number of donor cards (or at least people who have opted in on a database) in one year.

Lebowski - the credit card idea is a good one, people would then carry it without thinking about it.

[mattboyslim]

Am I not right in thinking even if you opt in, your next of kin can opt you out after your death?  that is unfortunate. Both the idea of a mailshot or putting into credit cards / driving licenses would be good.  It could be incorporated into a national ID card scheme too, if it ever happened (not that I wnat ID cards, but it is an easy way of canvassing the opinion of the whole population).

[axs]

i would suggest putting it in the next census but i don't think the data is allowed to be used for anything other than statistics.

[sonic youth]

take what you like but not my retinas.

[lebowski]

let's not get onto ID cards!

i should make my earlier comment clearer, i think an auto opt in is a great idea, but achieving it, and then ensuring that it was correctly administered (ie, all opt outs be correctly processed) would be tremendously hard.

i think it would also be one of those issues where you would have to have 100% buy-in (or near as damn it) to get it passed.

[Fred Elliot]

I carry a card and I am also on the Bone Marrow register

[Bushey Boy]

I back donors 100%, my wishes are use what you can, eyes kidneys the lot

Needs looking at totally

[Nemo]

I'm sure there was a bit about organ Donation on my Driving License form, however my license has no visible mark of my agreeing to donation.

I'll get a proper card, to go with my Blood donor card.

[Fred Elliot]

I'm a sperm donor