Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Tom Fleming on tabling this motion and welcome the cross-party support for it. Much work has already been done on this issue and the heads of the human tissue Bill are at an advanced stage of drafting. That Bill will deal with the removal, use, storage and disposal of organs and tissues of deceased persons and provide for consent on the use of organs from a living person for transplantation and research. It reflects a timely transposition into Irish law of European Union regulations which came into effect last August.

The need for this Bill is apparent for several reasons. The issue of retaining tissues from deceased babies arose a number of years ago and safeguards must be put in place to ensure proper consent for the donation of tissue. The aspect of the Bill which relates to tonight's debate is its provisions on organ donation. The lack of an opt-out facility for organ donation has resulted in many deaths but while the vast majority agree with the introduction of an opt-out system, the arguments of those who disagree must be considered. It is important that the new opt-out is properly explained and widely advertised because the issue of organ donation only arises in the most difficult and traumatic circumstances.

The number of deceased donors has remained steady over the past ten years, with a small increase from 76 in 2005 to 93 two years ago. Advances in medicine have resulted in an increase in the number of living donors but deceased donors remain key to many types of transplant and consent is therefore vital to the success of the organ transplantation programme. Patients awaiting organ transplants will welcome the EU action plan on organ donation and the strengthened co-operation it envisages between member states after 2015. At a national level we must bring the human tissue Bill before the Dáil at the earliest opportunity so that the opt-out facility becomes a reality and the lives of the many people awaiting transplants are enhanced.

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