In May 2007, the European Commission issued a communication relating to organ donation and transplantation. This made a number of proposals for actions which were designed to help increase the supply of donor organs across the EU. The two major elements were: first, the introduction of a directive aimed at setting standards for the quality and safety of organ donation and transplantation across the EU; and, second, the establishment of an action plan for closer cooperation between Member States in sharing experiences and best practice. This Report brings together evidence relating to the Commission's proposals and draws conclusions about their merits. It also sets out evidence received about a range of matters relating to organ donation which are not within Community competence but which are of central relevance to the shortage of organs for donation: the Organ Donation Taskforce's recent recommendations for the re-organisation of the health infrastructure in the UK; and the proposal, by the Chief Medical Officer for England, that current legislation in England should be changed in order to create a "presumed consent" or "opt-out" system for organ donation in place of the existing "opt-in" system. The Committee's conclusion is that the proposals set out in the Commission's communication would help to raise the numbers of organs available for transplantation as well as the overall safety and quality of those organs. The proposed directive should not be overly bureaucratic and should not inhibit the application of expert clinical judgement and informed patient choice.

Rates of organ donation lag far behind the increasing need. At the start of 2006, more than 90,000 people were waiting to receive a solid organ (kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, heart, or intestine). Organ Donation examines a wide range of proposals to increase organ donation, including policies that presume consent for donation as well as the use of financial incentives such as direct payments, coverage of funeral expenses, and charitable contributions. This book urges federal agencies, nonprofit groups, and others to boost opportunities for people to record their decisions to donate, strengthen efforts to educate the public about the benefits of organ donation, and continue to improve donation systems. Organ Donation also supports initiatives to increase donations from people whose deaths are the result of irreversible cardiac failure. This book emphasizes that all members of society have a stake in an adequate supply of organs for patients in need, because each individual is a potential recipient as well as a potential donor.

Evidence taken before Sub-committee G (Social Policy and Consumer Affairs).

A proposal for resolving tensions between professionals and society regarding tissue for transplants and research, while properly protecting donors' interests.

Additional written evidence is contained in Vol. 2, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/welshcom

Organ transplantation raises singularly difficult ethical and legal issues in its requirement for donated organs. Strategies to facilitate supply in the face of increasing demand must be ethically sound and subject to an appropriate and effective regulatory framework. Professor David Price reviews the ethical principles and positions underpinning such law and policies, probing for coherence, consistency and justification. The book incorporates a comprehensive analysis of existing laws and policies governing transplantation practices around the world. It examines the meaning of death, cadaver organ procurement policies, use of living donors, trading in human organs, experimental transplant procedures and xenotransplantation. Drawing upon a wide range of disciplinary and empirical materials Price explores the balance between the interests of donors, recipients, clinicians, and society, identifying the specific challenges of this subject and seeking to guide current practices and future developments in the context of cultural diversity and pluralistic societies.