Another big day for organ donation!

Today is a big day for regulations on organ donation in the Netherlands. After many years of public debate, the Senate finally passed a law that enforces presumed consent when it comes to organ donation.

Source: anp.nl

In normal English, this means that every Dutch citizen is by default is registered as an organ donor. Changing this must be done by those who want to on their own initiative.

The concept of presumed consent has proven to be successful. Spain, for example, has one of the highest recorded donor rates in the world. In 2016, for example, a total of 4818 donor transplants were performed. A country that was one of the first to adopt the concept of presumed consent.

For the Netherlands to pass this new legislation puts it next to several other European countries such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Greece, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, and Sweden. These countries have similar legislation already passed. In many of these countries family consent is also considered.

Hopefully, many more lives are saved or improved by the passing of this new law! And if you haven't already registered for organ donation, I encourage you to do so!

Main sources: donatelife.gov.au, Reuters, thelocal.es.