§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now introduce legislation to allow hospital authorities to use kidneys of all persons where clinical death has been established other than those who have specifically contracted out from being kidney donors during their lifetime; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe Government have no plans at present for introducing legislation to amend the Human Tissue Act 1961 in the way that the hon. Member suggests. We are fully committed to increasing the numbers of donor organs becoming available for transplantation, but before supporting the introduction of new arrangements which permitted the removal of organs without the consent of the deceased or, where practicable, of his relatives, we would need to be convinced that such arrangements were broadly accepted both by the medical profession and by the public generally, and that they would in fact result in the supply of donor organs being increased. We would also need to be satisfied that it would be possible to establish adequate safeguards to ensure that the wishes of people opposed to organ donation were properly respected. Organ donation is at present seen as an act of altruistic generosity on the part of donors and their relatives, and the erosion of this view would be regrettable.