A category no. In a press release dated April 27, the Order of Physicians vetoed organ harvesting from a deceased person without the consent of the person or relatives. “The Order of Doctors pleads so that the removal of organs from a deceased person remains subordinate to the decision of the latter during his lifetime or failing that To the consent of those close to him, “he declares. By this note, the representative body of doctors makes known its opposition to the amendment adopted on March 19 as part of the examination of the bill to modernize the health system.
The text provides that organ harvesting “could be carried out without the consent of the family as soon as the deceased person has not made known his opposition to the levy during his lifetime, “recalls the Order.
The measure was presented by Jean-Louis Touraine and Michèle Delaunay. It should take effect in 2018 if it passes the Senate stage in July. In fact, it makes it possible to override the opinion of relatives when the deceased has not clearly expressed his refusal to donate organs during his lifetime.
Relatives “excluded from the process”
In France, all patients are presumed organ donors by default if they have not indicated their refusal to take samples in the national refusal register. Currently the doctors are legally requiredto consult this register to see if the deceased is registered there. If this is not the case they must ask the relatives of the deceased person if the deceased was opposed to the donation of his organs.
The new text should be a game-changer and eliminate consultation of the entourage. An aberration for the Order of Doctors which “firmly opposes that relatives are excluded from this process”.
He intends to recall this when the Senate examines the bill to modernize the health care system in July.
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