HEALTH & WELLBEING
IT’S TIME for SERVICE FAMILIES BASED in WALES to TALK ABOUT
O ORGAN DONATION
n 1st December 2015, Wales will become the first home nation to introduce soft opt out legislation
on organ donation. The new law will mean people will be considered as if they have no objection to being an organ donor unless they register a decision to opt-out. This is also called ‘deemed consent’.
It’s hoped this change will help create the conditions for an increase in the number of organ donors. In 2013, 36 people died in Wales due to a lack of suitable organs.
Serving military personnel are exempt from deemed consent. However, if you have moved to Wales, or plan to do so, to live with your partner serving in the military then the law will affect you. The new law will apply to you, and any of your children aged over 18, if your family has lived in Wales for over 12 months. If you are simply visiting your partner on base regularly, but live elsewhere in the UK, then the law will not apply to you or your children.
Under the new system, from 1 December 2015, the choices in Wales will be:
To be a donor, an individual can choose to: • Register a decision to be a donor (opt in) or
• Do nothing. By doing nothing, a person will be treated as if they had no objection to being a donor.
To not be a donor, an individual can choose to:
• Register a decision not to be a donor (opt out)
As in the current system, anybody will be able to register a decision to donate all organs and tissues or select specific organs or tissues. Until 1 December 2015, the current opt-in system continues and the deemed consent will not apply.
Dr Chris Jones, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales, said, “Organ donation saves lives, and with so many people’s lives ‘on a clock’ waiting for an organ, we hope this change to the law in Wales will help people on the waiting list by increasing the organs available for transplant.
“The UK has one of the highest family refusal rates in Europe when it comes to organ donation. Too often, family members have not discussed organ donation and as a result do not know their loved ones’ wishes. In such situations, many families refuse consent to organ donation. We hope, as part of our public awareness campaign, more people will be encouraged to talk about their organ donation choices and make their wishes known as we approach 1st December.
“The Welsh Government is working closely with organisations like the Families Federations, HIVES, and other military organisations to ensure as much relevant information as possible is provided to Service Personnel and their Families before the implementation date of the new law in Wales.”
More information can be found at
www.organdonationwales.org.
www.raf-ff.org.uk Envoy Spring 2015 39
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