Organ donors need to be informed, consenting adults

IRELAND’S kidney transplant charity says that government plans for an “opt-out” system, having organs “donated automatically” is unworkable, but not immoral.

To take personal property (and what could be more personal than one’s organs), without consent is theft, especially wicked when the “donor” is in no position to prevent it.

People might be unaware of the “opting-out” system, may not bother to register (how many people die intestate?), or be afraid of victimisation. Medical records are often incomplete or lost, or might be ignored. To claim “assumed consent” is “donation”, rather than theft, is Orwellian doublespeak.

There is no agreed definition of death; people have been found alive in morgues, accidentally buried alive, or have been brought back to life after spending some time drowned or frozen. People who have been declared “brain dead” have been known to recover, or been able to communicate by tiny movements. I personally know of a case where, after the family refused consent, the patient made a complete recovery.

It is dishonest to claim someone is “dead” when, clearly, the “donated” organs are still alive, otherwise they would be of no use. The transplant lobby is misleading people. It claims the best way is to employ staff to ‘’convince” grieving relatives, rather than pay people for their organs — it is beyond me why anyone should consider buying organs worse than stealing them. The possibility of someone being kept artificially alive whilst their organs were harvested is a nightmare scenario.

I admire the altruism of organ donors, but they should be properly informed, consenting adults. The proposed “Burke and Hare” bill is abhorrent.

Michael Job

Glengarriff

Co Cork