MSP publishes 'soft opt-out' organ donor bill

Plans to introduce a "soft opt-out" system for organ donation in Scotland have been published at Holyrood.

Labour's Anne McTaggart has support from MSPs of all parties for her bill.

The current "opt-in" system requires a proactive choice by an individual to register to become an organ donor on their death.

The Scottish government said it would examine the bill to see if a "convincing case" could be made for a move to an opt-out system.

The new legislation would mean people would have to actively opt out or else their name would be added to the NHS Organ Donation Register.

Under the terms of the "soft opt-out" system, families of deceased patients would be given a say on donation if they could confirm their relative had made an unrecorded objection during their lifetime.

'No consensus'

Ms McTaggart, who introduced the bill, cited evidence which said that three people died every day across the UK waiting for a transplant. She claimed her legislation could save lives.

"That's what the bill is about. It's about making more organs available to people who need them, ultimately," she said.

According to the government, there has been a 63% increase in the number of transplants carried out on Scottish patients since 2007.

Maureen Watt, minister for public health, said: "There is currently no consensus amongst experts as to whether this would make a significant difference and the international evidence is not clear.

"However the Scottish government welcomes any debate in relation to the important issues of organ donation and transplantation."

Scottish TV presenter Lorraine Kelly is backing the bill

Ms Watt added: "In Scotland we lead the UK in increasing donation and transplantation numbers.

"The transplant waiting list is now at its lowest level to date. In addition, 41% of Scots are signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register - the highest percentage of any of the four UK countries."

Ms McTaggart hosted an event at Parliament to mark the formal introduction of the bill, which was attended by representatives of a number of medical organisations including the British Medical Association (BMA), the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Scottish Kidney Federation, as well as transplant recipients and their families.

Ms McTaggart said she was "delighted" with the event, and the introduction of the bill.

"There's still a long way to go in the legislative process but I'm confident that the overwhelming evidence in favour of my proposals will ensure the success of my bill," she said.

Scottish TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, who had previously offered support, reiterated her backing for the bill via a video message where she stated that being an organ donor was a "unique opportunity for people to leave behind an amazing gift."

The BMA welcomed the publication of the bill. In a statement, Dr Sue Robertson, a member of the BMA's Scottish Council and a renal physician, said: "The whole transplant community works tremendously hard to increase the levels of organ donation with significant support from the Scottish government, but there are still people in Scotland waiting for an organ transplant.

"We believe that more can be done and more lives can be saved and this bill represents a positive step towards that goal," she added.

The British Heart Foundation also backs the bill.