The 'opt-out' legislation for organ donors in Guernsey

The 'opt-out' legislation for organ donors in Guernsey is scheduled to go into effect in 2023.

On January 1, 2023, new legislation will go into effect that will convert the current "opt-in" method for obtaining legal approval for organ donations into an "opt-out" approach.

Under the human tissues and organ transplants legislation that will go into effect in the Bailiwick of Guernsey in 2020, permission for donating organs will be assumed unless it is expressly stated otherwise.

The bill was approved by the States Assembly for the first time in the year 2020. According to Deputy President Al Brouard of the Health and Social Care organization, a single gift has the potential to "save the life of up to nine individuals."

He continued by saying, "I would encourage everyone to communicate with their family members and friends about donating organs so that their opinions are fully recognized and record those views properly."

" Donation of the organ remains your option."

The States of Guernsey said that family members will "always be approached and consulted" over the decision, even if it was already made.

Children, people who lacked the mental ability to make decisions at the time of their death, and anyone who had not been residents of Guernsey for the previous year at the time of their passing are not eligible for the system.