Welsh church leaders raise objections to organ donor plans

Leaders of the Church in Wales, the Roman Catholic Church and the Wales Eastern Orthodox Mission have voiced their opposition to Welsh Government’s proposals to introduce presumed consent for organ donation in Wales.

The church leaders' statement comes after the Church in Wales staged a public debate in central Cardiff earlier in the month.

While fully supporting the principle of organ donation they outlined their objections to presumed consent and urged the Government to reconsider.

They called for an independent body to conduct a genuinely open consultation considering a range of possibilities, without prior commitments to a particular legislative proposal.

In addition to the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, and the Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack, the church response was signed by all the bishops of the Church in Wales and the Roman Catholic Church in Wales. It was also signed by Father Deiniol, Archimandrite of the Wales Eastern Orthodox Mission.

They warned, “If the proposals in the white paper are not subject to independent scrutiny then there is a real danger that a change in the law would alienate a significant proportion of the public and undermine the positive image of organ donation and the reputation of Wales.

"For while a high rate of voluntary donation speaks of a culture of generosity, a system of presumed consent would “turn donation into action by default”.

The official consultation will end on 31 January.

According to the latest figures from 2010, Wales has reached a deceased organ donation rate of 27.7 per million people (pmp) compared to the UK average rate of 16.3 pmp.

It places Wales above many other European countries, including France (23.8 pmp), Italy (21.6 pmp) and Belgium (20.5 pmp), which already has a system of presumed consent.

Elfed Godding, national director of the Evangelical Alliance Wales said: “Christians hold a variety of opinions on this matter.

“Some are uneasy with the state assuming ownership of an individual’s body after death, while others believe that even in death Christians can still serve others by giving their bodies in this way.”

He added: “In the end it boils down to the way we view our relationship with society and whether or not there are times when the needs of those who require organ transplants are greater than a right to withhold such donations.”