Through the twentieth century, the development of medicine and scientific research has reached an all-time high which has made the requirement for organ donation even more fundamental.
However, despite the widespread public knowledge of the importance of donation and the huge media campaigns which have been run, many people are still reluctant to join the register. The NHS and the government are still discussing how they can increase the numbers of consenting donors in the UK and save more lives.
The research that has been undertaken into heart disease and cancer has been extensive over the last few decades, and now scientists see organ transplants as a key part of saving lives. Not only does transplanting organs save lives and organ donation also allows for in depth and accurate research into disease and finding cures.
Recent statistics show that 62% of people in the UK consent to organ donation however, this statistic is still lower than the target of 80% that the NHS want to achieve. The current method of registering organ donation in the UK means that although many people want to become a donor and consider joining the register, many people leave it as a mere thought and never formally sign the register.
Many people have campaigned for an opt-out system over the years to resolve this problem and the fight is still continuing. The opt-out system would ensure the entire population will be committed to donating their organs, which will increase the number of donors. There are many people who are not aware of the details of donation and do not even consider it an option. The opt-out method would mean that more donors will be on the register, as a majority of people who are not signed up haven’t failed to do so due to moral reasons, but because they don’t know enough about the subject and also that they simply haven’t signed their name to the register.
In 2016, only 3,519 people received a transplant when there were 6,550 people waiting for a transplant in total. Although around half of the people received their required transplant, the other half didn’t which could have proved fatal in some cases.
However, the opt-out system wouldn’t entirely solve the issue of low numbers of donors, as some groups of people refrain from signing their name to the register because it goes against their beliefs and moral values. Many Christians are against the progressions of science as they believe that it interferes with God’s creation and believe that having someone else’s organs inside your body is spoiling God’s work. Many Christians hold this view in the UK, however, there is still a large proportion of Christians who are strongly in favour of organ donation and thoroughly promote the cause.
However, the number of donors in the UK does need to rise, as hundreds of lives are still lost every year due to not receiving a transplant. With the medical knowledge of the twentieth century these lives do not need to continue to be lost, as there is such an easy alternative. By signing your name to the register you will be contributing to the extension of someone’s life, which is a huge reward and will provide many people with comfort knowing that they can continue to make a difference and help those in need, even after they are deceased.
