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Fiona fox's blog
Speakers:
Prof John Fabre, Professor of Clinical Sciences, Kings College London School of Medicine
Fiona Murphy, Bereavement & Donor Services Co-Ordinator, Bolton Hospital
Dr Rafael Matesanz, Director, National Transplant Organisation of Spain
Earlier this year, several high profile figures including the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer announced their preference to see the UK following Spain in moving towards a system of ‘presumed consent’ in organ donation, whereby individuals are automatically assumed to have agreed to donate their organs after death unless they specifically opt out, so as to increase the numbers or organs available for donation. However many experts close to the front line of transplant medicine are now raising serious concerns which they feel have not been heard in the debate, and have argued that the evidence from Spain does not in fact support such a move. The Science Media Centre invited three leading experts to brief journalists about their concerns about changing from opting in to opting out.