Views on organ donation opt-out plans to be sought

The Scottish government wants to move to a system where people have to opt out of organ donation

MSPs are to seek views on plans to change the system of organ donation in Scotland.

The health and sport committee wants to hear from those who have experience of transplants or donation as well as interested parties and members of the public.

The government wants to move to system of "presumed consent" in Scotland.

It means organs could be used for transplantation unless you have stated otherwise and "opted out".

The Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill is backed by many in the medical profession who argue it will increase the number of available organs.

But some have questioned whether there is enough evidence that a "soft opt-out" system does lead to an increase in donors.

The health and sport committee have launched an online survey for members of the public to complete.

They say they also want to hear from interested parties with a view to taking evidence in November.

Lewis Macdonald MSP, convener of the health and sport committee, said: "There is no doubt that increasing the number of organ donations and having fewer people dying whilst waiting for a transplant is something we all want to see happen.

"However, this is a complex and difficult issue and there has been much debate and discussion about the most appropriate system for organ donation in Scotland and indeed the rest of the world.

"As this proposed legislation will significantly change the system for organ donation we want to hear from as many people as possible from across Scotland to help inform the committee's scrutiny of this important issue."