Laws to govern tissue removal

NEW legislation on post mortems and the removal, retention, storage, use and disposal of human tissue will be introduced next year.

The Madden Report on Post Mortem Practice and Procedure, published last year, recommended no post mortem be carried out and no tissue retained for any purpose whatsoever without the permission of the family.

At a forum on proposals for human tissue legislation in Dublin yesterday, the author of the report, Dr Deirdre Madden, said she favoured authorisation over consent because it allowed the family to control the information they wanted to receive.

The Department of Health and Children is to initiate a consultation process and ask for submissions by September 19.

An outline of the bill is expected to be presented to the Government before the end of the year.

Parents for Justice, a campaign group representing more than 1,000 families who discovered their deceased family members’ organs were retained without their consent, said they favoured the authorisation model.

Dr Madden said informed consent required the provision and comprehension of information, whereas authorisation did not impose this requirement.