If you have registered for organ donation in your home country, have you ever thought about what happens to your organs if you are residing abroad at the moment of death?
Due to the differences in laws among the cou
ntries in the world, it is crucial that you do your research if you decide to move abroad. In general, it is only in the country in which you are registered for organ donation that the organ donation will be granted as per your wishes. However, since there are different laws pertaining to the different countries, a grey area regarding this issue remains.
The best advice in this case would therefore be to apply again in your new country of residence, to be able to ensure you know what will happen to organs after death, if you wish them to be donated (or not!). To give you a better insight into the different systems around the world, we will provide you with some more country specific information.
Two methods exist for determining voluntary consent:
- opt-in (i.e. you must explicitly give consent to be a donor),
- or opt-out (i.e. you are automatically a donor unless you opt-out).
Unsurprisingly,the opt-out system has increased the effectiveness of the donor system in general (due to the default-effect), and has been applied by an increasing number of countries recently. Various studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of both systems. However, there is no uniformity that determines which system works the best due to various social and economical factors.
Within the EU
The organ donation system is regulated by member states. Since 2010, 24 EU countries have applied the opt-out system, with Spain and Belgium topping the rankings in regards to donation rates. As the UK uses the opt-in system, people that want to become an organ donor will have to apply at a national database called the Organ Donation Register.
The EU has three collaborative non-profit organizations responsible for encouraging and coordinating organ transplants: Eurotransplant (blue), Scandiatransplant (green) and Balttransplant (red). In the UK the national NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for this.
Outside the EU
Many Americans believe that what happens to their bodies after they die should be solely a personal choice and today, organ donation is performed only with the consent of the family or donor themselves. The laws differ per state and the donor designation in the USA varies largely among them. An overview on donor rates can be found here.
As there is a structural shortage of organs all over the world, many actions are being taken to increase the amount of donors and save lives. In Brazil for example, there has been a massive increase in donor registrations due to the involvement of one of the biggest football clubs. With the campaign “immortal fans” people were encouraged to become a donor which has actually led to a waiting list for organs dropping almost to zero!
Ethical dilemmas
There are various issues around the world that result in opposition to organ donations. For example, Religious issues are not very common as most religions approve donation as they see it as a charitable act of great benefit to the community. However, certain groups, like the Roma (gypsies) do not approve organ donation. Furthermore, there are teleological issues, and the ‘brain death vs. cardiac death‘ remains an issue. Also, there are further political issues that remain such as organ donation for prisoners.
Overall, it can be stated that there is a wide variation when it come to organ donation around the world. Therefore, if you feel strongly about organ donation, whether it be for or against it, for whichever reason, it is advised to consult the relevant organisations of the country you are planning to reside in.