West Herts College: Group Discussion on Organ Donation Debate

This assignment presents a debate on the organ donation systems, specifically comparing the opt-in and opt-out models. The assignment discusses the legal and ethical implications of each system, highlighting the United States' opt-in approach and its alignment with individual rights and autonomy. The document includes references to relevant literature, such as the World Health Organization's global atlas of medical devices, to support the arguments. The opt-in system is presented as a legally binding decision that is consistent with American values. The assignment also addresses the opt-out approach, where individuals must actively choose not to donate their organs. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of each system, and to provide a framework for informed discussion on the issue of organ donation.

Debate

Should organ donation be an opt out system rather than an opt in?
People who choose to donate their organs after death must voluntarily sign up for an opt-in
scheme. The United States uses an opt-in scheme. The most common way to enrol is by
requesting for or reviving a driving permit throughout many states. An individual may also
register online in the Life Source service area (Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota), and
in Minnesota, there is still the opportunity to register while applying for a sporting or fisheries
authorization. If an individual fail to file, the decision will be made by the family at the time of
death. Organ donation will proceed immediately in opt-out schemes until a formal appeal to not
have organs removed is made before death. Families will have the opportunity to participate in
this scheme. There are two primary benefits of the opt-in system, particular to the U.S.:
1) It is consistent with American values of personal liberty: Opting-in policies align with the
United States' cultural emphasis on individual rights and autonomy principles, which is not
achieved in the opt-out international experience. Furthermore, in the United States, the decision
to donate is governed by the Anatomical Gift Act.
2) The choice is legally binding: Being a donor is a legally binding decision. Families are unable
to overturn the ruling. Opt-out schemes, on the other hand, have only one “yes” path and two
“no” paths—whether the person opted out or whether the family objects to donation.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arshad, A., Anderson, B. and Sharif, A., 2019. Comparison of organ donation and
transplantation rates between opt-out and opt-in systems. Kidney international, 95(6),
pp.1453-1460.
World Health Organization, 2017. Global atlas of medical devices.