Presumed Consent for Organ Donation

The British Medial Association (BMA) is campaigning for a government initiative to make presumed consent for organ donation to be the default position after deaths of citizens in the United Kingdom. This means that doctors have the authority to slice and dice people upon death unless the deceased specifically opts out prior to dying.

Those who wanted to opt out would have to register in a similar way to those who now carry organ donor cards. This could be done through a central NHS database or through other documentation, such as driving licences.

So, unless you opt out, the government takes possession of your body upon your death.

Notably, Spain and Belgium have already implemented presumed consent and the number of human pieces parts available for transplantation has increased.

From an ethical standpoint, one has to wonder if the next step will be to authorize doctors to take selected parts of the bodies of living persons who have been diagnosed as having terminal illnesses. Under those conditions, if a person is presumed to die in the near future, then, with presumed consent, doctors could break out the surgical instruments and start cutting.

Of course, maybe I'm just reading too much into the issue.