Backing the Gift of Life

Backing the gift of life
ON this page today, we tell the story of how Clare Conroy was asked to make a decision that would break any parent's heart. Having been told that her eight-year-old son, Daniel, was dead, she was asked to donate his organs.
There are people today who owe their lives to the fact that Clare said "yes" and that knowledge helps her cope with the loss of her son.
For many, the question of organ donation is hard to face because it brings the thought of death into sharper focus. But, with a national shortage of donor organs, it is a question which has to be made easier to answer.
We, therefore, have no hesitation in supporting the proposal by the Government's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, for a fundamental change in the way organ donations are managed in this country.
We believe it is common sense that everyone in the country should be registered as organ donors unless they opt out.
Not only will it significantly increase the number of donated organs, but it will save bereaved families from having to face a traumatic decision while they are having to come to terms with their loss.
It simply cannot be right to bury or cremate healthy organs which could be used to help others to live.
While we appreciate that this is a highly sensitive recommendation, which requires a period of consultation, we believe it is a change that is long overdue
10:54am Wednesday 18th July 2007