Should Canadians have to opt-out of organ donation?

TORONTO – Should Canadians have to opt-out of organ donation?

Canadian composer David Foster thinks Canada’s health care system should enact a “presumed consent” approach to organ donation – meaning, if you die, your organs will be donated unless you say no ahead of time.

“Hey, you’re an organ donor unless you say you don’t want to be one. That makes perfect sense,” Foster told the Globe and Mail.

Right now, donors in Canada have to register as organ donors to be recognized as a donor.

A 2009 review published in the British Medical Journal found that donation rates rose by nearly 25 per cent after implementation of presumed consent policies in certain countries.  However, other factors such as public awareness campaigns and increased resources for organ donation and transplantation likely played important roles as well.

Some people have raised a concern that presumed consent may result in doctors not working as hard to save a person’s life.

Global News medical contributor Dr. Samir Gupta said that this was not a concern given most donations came from patients who have suffered a sudden catastrophic event leading to neurological death (such as a motor vehicle accident), and only a minority of donors are removed from life support and suffer a cardiac death.  Also, Gupta said, families not only have a say in decisions about life support, but they also have the ultimate say on donation, even under presumed consent.

“I’ve had experiences where families are very hurt and offended that during their time of extreme grief you’re bringing up donation,” Gupta said. “On the other hand, there are families that see it as a very positive thing and sort of as a way to fulfill their loved one’s last wish.”

Gupta offered five things that you should know about organ donation:

 1. There is a dire need for donors

There are approximately 4,500 people on the transplant list, Gupta said. Approximately 250 people on the list die each year while waiting for a transplant.

2. What can be donated?

Gupta said surgeons can use a person’s heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and small intestines.  Up to 7 lives can be saved by a single donor.

 3. There’s also a need for tissue donation

Although few in-hospital deaths are eligible for organ donation, Gupta said the majority of patients will be eligible for tissue donation such as corneas, or heart tissue.

 4. How to become a donor

There are no longer donor cards in Ontario.  Ontario has a website, BeADonor.ca, which lets you sign up to be a donor.

 5. Talk to your family

Even if you’ve signed up to be a donor, your family is still given the ultimate choice after you’ve passed, so it is important that if you want your organs donated, to talk to your family about your wishes.