Seanad debates

Thursday, 7 February 2013

12:10 pm

Photo of Feargal QuinnFeargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday I had a visit from three people, including a brother and sister. The woman had donated a kidney to her brother, which ended years of dialysis that he had had to undergo. I asked them what we could do to help and it was very clear he was giving me a list of two or three things. One of the points he made was that there has been a very substantial drop in the number of organ donations in the past year. It is not impossible for us to do some things. We should ensure we have trained advisers to approach people if someone close to them has died. There was a case during the week in which a woman's son died and she was able to say his organs had given new life to at least four people. We have reduced the number of co-ordinators - I do not particularly like that word - for organ transplants and it is possible to do something about this.

An article in the newspaper yesterday stated that Northern Ireland proposed to introduce presumed consent but in the Republic it is not acceptable to approach the parents of somebody who has died to make that suggestion. The suggestion must come from the parents themselves. This is a matter we should debate, particularly the aspect of presumed consent. As Senators know, we debated a Bill that was adjourned for further consultation but nothing has happened since then. It is time to resurrect this Bill now that Northern Ireland proposes to introduce presumed consent, in that one does not have to opt in to be an organ donor.

Another woman who visited me has been waiting years for a kidney, as has her father. She has dialysis every night of the year and her father goes into hospital three times a week for six or eight hours. We can do something about this. We have the Bill and the know-how; we just need the commitment. The Bill we debated was adjourned and it is time to resurrect it. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health to consider introducing a Bill of his own? Otherwise, we could do so and he could respond positively.

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