Finland to remove permission laws for organ harvesting

The existing organ donor legislation in Finland requires permission from the host, but a new amendment proposal will seek to remove the pre-arrangement in a move that authorities claim could save numerous lives. The move is designed to address Finland’s shortage of donated organs which are presently only sourced from those who have signed a donor card.

A recent study revealed that 90 percent of Finns would allow their organs to be used after their death, up by 7 percent from similar research findings three years ago. The success rate of transplants in Finland is also high with 90 percent of organs still functioning after one year of operation, although some 300 patients are still on the waiting list.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has said the amendment would apply to brain-dead patients who have not made any objections to the practice. Individual assessment would apply on a case-by-case basis for underage patients. The push for the change in laws is headed by the notion that the diseased have a positive attitude towards donating their organs when alive and therefore the need for separate harvesting permission is redundant, as documented in Helsingin Sanomat.

While the majority of Finns have stated their willingness to participate in organ donation, only 20 percent have actually signed the organ donor card. The next of kin can also make the decision to proceed with harvesting but timing and ethics make any such request both difficult and inappropriate. The request procedure is also a lengthy one which impacts hospital staffing resources.

Despite the growing need for transplant operations, the number performed has decreased in recent years. In 2008 there were 230 organ donor beneficiaries with kidney transplants accounting for 150 of the operations. There were also 47 new liver recipients along with 21 heart and 12 lung transplants.