Brown’s organ donor plans rejected

Proposals to introduce an ‘opt-out’ system for organ donation have been rejected for a second time by the government’s advisory committee.

The development is a setback for prime minister Gordon Brown, who had personally supported the suggestion as a way of improving organ availability in Britain.

The UK Organ Donation Taskforce said the proposal would fail to improve on current levels.

The plans are popular in some medical circles to improve the UK’s current state of donation ? one of the lowest in Europe.

But some experts say the change would undermine trust in doctors and may not improve availability enough to warrant the reform.

“We found from recipient families and donor families that the concept of gift was very important to them and presumed consent would undermine that concept,” said Elizabeth Buggins, chair of the donation taskforce.

Every year, 1,000 people die in the UK waiting for a transplant.
In other news, the Australian senate has passed legislation to set up a national organ donation and transplant system.

The country’s government intends to spend $151 million (65.95 million pounds) over four years on programs to improve the rate of organ and tissue donation.