Organ Farming

The Senedd passed a ground breaking bill on the 2nd July 2013. Where organ donation in Wales will switch from being opt in to opt out. When this is introduced in around 2015 it effectively means that the organs of people in Wales are owned by NHS Blood and Transplant in England. So despite health being devolved and the farming of our organs being devolved the decision with what happens to them is not.

Silence of the Lambs probably wouldn't have worked in Wales.  Share via twitter | facebook

Now at this stage I'd like people to know that I am currently on the donor database, I ticked the box on my drivers license application and I probably still have a donor card somewhere in my wallet. I'm also on the bone marrow database that I signed up to when donating blood. I have a red and gold card indicating I have exchanged my blood for a hot cup of tea and mint flavour penguin somewhere between 10-24 times (at a guess 12 or 13 times). The first time you donate they only give you a cold drink, sad times. I even once tried to donate whilst I was in England but they were "at lunch".

That's always been my choice though and one that I have been happy to make. This new law changes everything as we are now effectively cattle for the rest of the UK. And as depicted in the graphic I created for this post, the UK is basically England. Which coincidentally is where the transplant gods decide who lives and dies.

We've already had our land, sea, sand, gold, coal, harbours, shopping centres, water, cannon fodder and more recently our new domain names stolen from us. Our organs were the last thing we had sole control of. And this is one of the reasons why I am genuinely considering opting out. I don't know if I will yet, I have a number of questions relating to this that I need some answers for. These questions are as follows.

• If organs become available in Newport with suitable matches in Bristol and Swansea then which patient will get the organs?
• Will reports be published stating where each donated organ are sent, what happened to them and what the projected cost saving will be? (eg the donor site says a kidney transplant will save around £241,000 in 10 years)
• Where are all the hospitals that transplants take place. If they are mainly based in England then it would surely be easier (and possibly more successful) to have patients that are nearer?
• Given that the NHS in England is moving closer to privatisation and that patients in Wales are having to go to English hospitals (due to Labour closures and downgrades) might we see a time where organs are effectively used as payment?
• Given the financial value of organs could there be a 'highest bidder' scenario?
• Will the donor or their family receive some sort of payment based on the money saved?
• Will the donor country receive some sort of payment based on the money saved?
• If a person in Wales dies as result of a person in the rest of the UK being deemed more suitable will we be told about this?
• Since Wales will be used as a penal colony with the arrival of the new super prison, why are prisoners exempt from this bill?
• And since we're a dumping ground for second rate students why are they exempt?

A few other things caught my eye whilst reading the article.

Source - BBC

43 Yes + 8 No + 2 Cowards = 53. Where are the other seven? Although I do believe IWJ has quit so that should be 59.

Source - BBC

33 people out of 5000? That means that the percentage of people who died waiting for a transplant in Wales is 0.66% and yet we're the ones who are leading the way. That is something to be proud of, of course it is. But the old cliche, pride comes before a fall is something that makes me question it. Note it does say fewer than 5000 so the percentage will be higher, but even if it was 4000 that still leaves us at 0.82% and since Wales' three million population accounts for around 4.8% of the UK's 62 million people that leaves us in a far better position. I'd also like to note that in one of the side panels the BBC state that three people a month die in Wales waiting for an organ. That makes 36, three more than the figure above. A massive 9% difference. But taking the worst case scenario of 36 people out of 4000 that still leaves us as only 0.9%.

I also note the Department of Health is against opt out organ donation as they are worried it will undo the work they have put in.

Source - Telegraph

The problem with opt out is it immediately removes the freedom of choice. It puts the onus on us 'cattle' to have to opt out. It also puts the onus on the NHS Wales and the Welsh Government to make sure that people in Wales know enough to decide if they want to be a donor and know how to opt out if they wish. And if a family of a non opt out organ donor decides that their loved one did not know enough about this new law then that opens up a whole new world of ambulance chasing.

One other point cropped up as a result of this bill being passed.

Source - BBC

Wouldn't it be interesting to know how they would have voted. Was Carwyn that worried that this landmark moment in UK politics would be destroyed by his own party so he didn't give them a free vote?

To summarise, these are just my questions, you do what you want to do and despite all the deliberate usage of terms such as organ farming, exploitation, colonialism and what not I probably will end up making the transition from someone who had already opted in to someone who didn't opt out. Not through laziness or fear that other people wouldn't like it but simply because it is the right thing to do. But for those who don't want to have your organs owned by a foreign country then there is a simple alternative.

First world problems. Share via twitter | facebook

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