Health Secretary support for presumed consent
14 Jan 08
Organs for transplantation should be taken from patients, says Sturgeon
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has indicated that she is sympathetic to the policy of presumed consent, which would allow organs to be taken from dead patients for transplant use unless they had previously opted out or their family members objected.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has already indicated that in principle he would support a change in the law to permit such a policy.
The UK Organ Donation Taskforce set up by the UK Government is due to publish its report later this week. The Taskforce will make recommendations designed to increase the availability of organs for donation in other ways. It will examine the issue of consent separately.
Ms Sturgeon ministers were committed to implementing recommendations, as Scotland currently has one of the lowest rates of organ donation in the EU.