Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I am one of those people who has always viewed organ donation as selfless and something we all aspire to doing, to ensure when we are gone we can benefit somebody else and give them the gift of live. Unfortunately, I do not have a donor card. When I see the advertisement it goes to the back of my mind because we all think we will live forever. As Senator McDonald has said, there is a certain finality about making those decisions and entering into that thought process where one has decided what to do.

It is good that we are debating this issue in the House. I commend Senator Quinn on bringing the Bill before the House because, while making us think about organ donation and transplantation, it puts this issue in the spotlight. By debating it here we will raise public awareness not only in the Houses of the Oireachtas but among charities, health professionals and the media in general. That is worthwhile in itself.

While researching for the debate this afternoon, I noticed that 69% of people are willing to donate organs, yet only 29% carry donor cards. That statistic speaks volumes about the whole area of transplantation and the lack of cognisance given to it.

I accept that the Bill aims to put a legislative framework in place. Having spent the last hour in the Chair I have noticed there is a broad school of opinion in the House that accepts the tenet of the Bill and agrees with its broad thrust. I hope that whatever decision is reached this evening will lead to a legislative framework to allow the aspirations contained in Senator Quinn's Bill to become law. I know the issue is very difficult for people but it is a practical one. The manner in which we try to switch from the current situation to permit that opt-out will speak volumes. I am one of those people who has often thought about the matter but has never got around to doing anything about it. We must be aware of the many situations where people have benefited from organ transplantation and must develop a legislative framework for it.

The opt-out, or presumed consent model of organ donation, already exists successfully in Austria, Spain and France. In those countries if a person dies who is a suitable donor, his or her organs can be transplanted to save another person's life. We must remind ourselves why we are debating this Bill. Its objective is to save lives. I agree to a system whereby people can opt out or register as a non-donor and am open to suggestions that this might be managed by Internet, by the carrying of a non-donor card or by stamping the back of a licence.

While researching this afternoon I came across a worthwhile quotation, one that we should all remember. James Nolan, an Irish kidney transplant recipient said: "Please don't bring your organs to heaven because heaven knows we need them here on earth". That was said by a person who has already benefitted from organ transplantation.

There is a broad thrust of support for what Senator Quinn has tried to do. He has certainly put the issue into the spotlight and it has been followed up by various organs in the media, no pun intended. The editorial in The Irish Times today touched on the matter. As legislators, we have all been made to think about the subject. I urge the Minister of State to carry back to the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, the news that this proposal has been broadly welcomed in this House, although we might not agree on the finer details. There is an onus upon us, as legislators, to ensure we put a framework in place to allow this Bill to be enacted.