Tom Watson

Labour Party | West Bromwich East

Kidney payment plan 'dangerous' MP says

Proposals to pay relatives to donate a kidney to patients, revealed in TheObserver today, have come under fire from a Labour MP. Tom Watson MP saidthat the plans, being considered by the Government as part of a review ofthe organ donation laws, would set a 'dangerous precedent'.

The West Bromwich East MP, who proposed the Organ Donation (PresumedConsent and Safeguards Bill) in the Commons earlier this year, wants tointroduce a system of "opting out" whereby individuals would have toregister their objection to donation.

Speaking today Mr Watson said: "We do need to reform the archane 40 yearold laws which govern transplants, but introducing payments or incentivesto donate is not a road we should be going down. Bringing money into thesystem would set a dangerous precedent and could breach the HippocraticOath.

"Once you say it's OK for a relative to be paid for an organ, you're on a slippery slope to saying it's OK to have a commercial trade in humanorgans.

"As hundreds of lives are lost each year on the transplant waiting list,the Government is rightly looking for the best way to deal with thegrowing shortage of donors. A system of 'opting out' backed by the BritishMedical Association and hundreds of MPs in Parliament earlier this year,presents a positive solution to the current transplant crisis.

"Studies have shown that up to three-quarters of the population would bewilling to donate organs after their death, but only 15% of people areactually signed up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. Where presumedconsent, with appropriate safeguards, has been introduced in countrieslike Belgium all the evidence shows that the number of organs availablefor transplant has increased."

Under the presumed consent with safeguards' system proposed by Mr Watson'sBill and the BMA relatives would be informed that the deceased person hadnot "opted out" of organ donation and that, unless they were aware of anunregistered objection, or unless they themselves objected, a donationcould proceed. The change would not apply to children under the age of 16,where explicit consent would still be sought in all cases.