Organ donation: the automatic assumption that follows from presumed consent is contrary to the very principle of donation

Publié le 17 Jun, 2019

The Swiss bishops are opposed to presumed consent for organ donation. “We are not against organ donation […]. But we do not want it to be automatic,” said Bishop Felix Gmür, president of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (Conférence des évêques suisses, CES), at a press conference in Bern on Thursday.

 

A popular initiative entitled Promote Organ DonationSave Lives to introduce presumed consent in Switzerland has been under consideration since spring. It is intended to “facilitate donations” and “reduce waiting lists”. The bishops oppose this proposal because “a donation presupposes the expressly voluntary nature of being a donor”. Presumed consent “is contrary to the principle of explicit consent by the person concerned”. The bishops believe that organ donation can be considered an act of love, but “that it cannot give rise to any moral obligation. Anyone who does not want to give their organs, tissues or cells can under no circumstances be morally condemned”.

Tribune de Genève (06/06/2019) – Don d’organes: les évêques rejettent le consentement présumé

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