Disappointment as organ donation bill voted down

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has said that she is extremely disappointed that the proposed Transplantation (Authorisation of Removal of Organs etc.) (Scotland) Bill has been voted down during a Stage 1 debate in Parliament yesterday (Tuesday).

Mrs Grant has worked with NHS Highland, and players from local football clubs, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County, in the past to encourage people to sign up to the organ donation register.

In normal circumstances the Parliament would vote for or against the general principles of the Bill.  The SNP however, lodged an amendment to the motion to agree the principles of the Bill which rejected the Bill suggesting that they had concerns surrounding the practical impact of the specific details in the Bill. The amendment also called on the Scottish Government to bring forward another Bill with the same principles.

Given that the SNP have a majority in the Parliament they could have amended the Bill at Stage 2 and 3, dealing with any concerns that they might have had.  Their own Land Reform Bill was so flawed at Stage 1 that it attracted over 200 amendments at Stage 2.  After voting the Bill down an SNP MSP suggested some of his party’s MSPs voted against the Bill for political reasons.

Speaking after the debate, Rhoda Grant said: “I am extremely disappointed that this has been voted down in this Parliament, we have a duty to the Scottish people, including those who are on transplant lists. We must always have their best interests at heart, as if they were our own family. We must do the right thing by them. According to evidence that the Health and Sport Committee received, the Bill would increase donations by up to 75 per cent. Even those who have concerns about the bill concede that it would increase donations, albeit marginally. I understand that the minister repeated that concession today.

“On average, every donor can save three lives; they could save up to eight, but the average is three. Even at the margins, the bill would save many lives. No one is suggesting that this is the only thing that needs to be done to increase donation—we need to do much more. Many such interventions are in the hands of the Scottish Government now and do not need legislation.

“The Bill would change the focus of donation so that the presumption was that someone would wish to donate. Survey after survey has found that the vast majority of Scottish people want to donate, but that is not borne out by donation rates. The Bill would also allow those who do not wish to donate to continue to opt out. I therefore fail to see the Government’s opposition to this.

Mrs Grant continued: “Scotland is the only country in the UK that does not allow for donors to appoint proxies, but such a system is workable and works in the rest of the UK. A proxy can act on behalf of the donor and give permission for organs to be donated. The Scottish Youth Parliament told us that having a proxy is particularly important for people who are estranged from their families, such as looked-after children. It is important that their views are expressed by someone who knew them, rather than a stranger. In evidence we heard of a case where a landlord had given permission for donation because there was no family. Surely allowing someone to appoint a proxy would be better than that.”

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