PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
ORGAN TRANSPLANTS (3 February 2004)

That this House notes that on average at least one person dies every day while waiting for an organ transplant; welcomes medical advances that have enabled many ill patients to live longer and that have saved the lives of many accident and stroke victims whose organs might otherwise have been used in transplants; regrets that these advances have meant that there were 12 per cent. fewer organ transplants in 2003 than in 1993, while the numbers waiting for a transplant increased by 34.5 per cent. in the same period; notes that although the overwhelming majority of people would be happy for their organs to be used to help someone else to live after their death, fewer than 20 per cent. of the population have actively registered with the NHS Organ Donor Register or carry a donor card; welcomes the progress being made in the Human Tissue Bill to improve the laws relating to donating and transplanting organs; believes that in addition to this, the best means of increasing the number of lives saved by organ donation by adults, of respecting the wishes of the deceased, and of being kinder to grieving relatives, is to presume consent for donating organs for transplant unless they opted out; supports the Organ Donation (Presumed Consent and Safeguards) Bill which receives its First Reading on 3rd February and which includes safeguards to ensure that opt-out will not be applied to children, and that families' wishes will also be respected; and in the meantime urges all honourable and Right honourable Members, their families and their constituents to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register by visiting www.uktransplant.org.uk or by calling 0845 60 60 400.

Sponsored by:
Dame Siobhain McDonagh (Labour)