15 May 2017

National Party passes remit for an Binding Organ Donor Register

The professional arm of the National Party were successful at this weekends party conference in getting a remit passed for organ donation registration on driving licences to be legally binding.

Organ donation campaigner Andy Tookey is welcoming the move to revisit the issue as it was an issue he took to Parliament over ten years ago.

"I managed to persuade a National MP to put in a Private Members Bill for a Binding Organ Donor Register back in 2006.

Unfortunately it failed at the last hurdle being rejected at the time in favour of the new Human Tissue Act. Since then polls have shown that at least 88% actually want their wishes to be a donor enshrined in law.

The Human Tissue Act actually made it even harder for people to become donors by requiring an extra consent from family members instead of just going with the donors wishes.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has rejected the idea for a standalone register saying there is no evidence that registers will improve the donor rate.

When Dr Coleman was National Party spokesperson for health, despite there not being evidence that it would improve the donor rate he said:

"If it is good enough for the Canadians, for places in America, and for states in Australia, then one would have to wonder why we are not doing this in New Zealand.”

He went on further to say:

"The National Party position is that if one makes a decision about what will happen to one’s body after one dies, then that should be absolutely binding and no one else should be able to overrule that decision.”

Andy Tookey is hoping that in light of the conference decision the Minister will revisit the issue and once again support a binding register.

*ENDS*

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