April 5, 2001 - In one of its first health initiatives, the Bush administration plans to set up a national organ donor program. Details about the program will be released later this month.

Following a scandal in which organs were removed from dead children without permission, pressure is growing from doctors and politicians for an overhaul of the organ donation system in the UK.

November 25, 2000 - A Western Australia parliamentary committee has recommended that everyone be automatically listed as an organ donor unless they provide a written objection.


June 14, 2000 - The British Medical Association (BMA) has released a new report entitled " Organ donation in the 21st century: Time for a consolidated approach".

In this related press release, the BMA states that they would like a single piece of legislation to cover all aspects of organ donation from both live and dead donors. They also want to introduce a system of presumed consent, which would assume that adults will donate their organs after their death unless they signed a statement before they died.

April 29, 2000 - The desperate shortage of human organs available for transplantation is forcing the Mexican government to consider "implied consent" laws that would deem everyone as potential donors unless they sign forms specifying otherwise.

Due to the diminishing number of organs available for transplant in the United Kingdom, the Scottish Parliment is now considering similar "presumed consent" legislation. Stories from the BBC.

In the United States, the policy of "informed consent / required request" continues. Physicians in charge of potential donors are required to ensure that someone speaks to the family about organ donation. Vice President Gore has led the government effort to increase informed consent donations. Here is the US government web site on organ donation.


August 31, 1999 -In Europe, there has been an increase in the availablility of organs for donation due to recent changes in organ donations laws in several countries. These countries have passed "implied consent" legislation, which considers everyone an organ donor unless that person has stated their wishes not to donate. Here is a listing of the current organ donation laws in various countries from the Eurotransplant web site. The US has a "required request" law, which states that physicians in charge of potential donors must have someone speak to the family about organ donation.



[This message has been edited by Gary Peterson (edited 04-05-2001).]