Last week MPs
backed the Organ Donation Bill, which could save hundreds of lives every year
by introducing an opt-out organ donation process. The current rules mean that
donors must choose to opt-in to declare that they are happy for their organs to
be given to someone else after their death. The new proposed law would change
the rules so that instead people would have to declare if they do not want to
be a donor. England has some of the lowest rates of organ donation in Western
Europe, with around 500 people dying every year because of a lack of suitable
donors according to the NHS. I am therefore delighted that the vote passed with
no opposition, clearing the first step towards saving the lives of hundreds of
people waiting for transplants. The Bill was introduced by Labour MP Geoffrey
Robinson and will now be scrutinised during the committee stage, before passing
through the House of Lords. I have spoken in the past with Community Champion
of the Year Alicia Armstrong, who herself received a transplant, about the
importance of organ donation, and so I know just how important this Bill could
be. I hope that this is the first step towards an opt-out system in England.
