Does Presumed Consent Save Lives? Evidence from Europe

Abstract

One policy tool that could affect organ donation rates is legislative defaults. In this study, we examine how presumed consent impacts cadaveric donations and kidney transplantations, using a panel dataset from the EU-27 countries plus Croatia in the period 2000-2010. We find that presumed consent countries have 28% to 32% higher cadaveric donation and 27% to 31% higher kidney transplant rates in comparison to informed consent countries, after accounting for potential confounding factors. After studying willingness to donate one's organs and registering preferences for organ donation, we find that presumed consent could increase cadaveric donation rates, because people fail to register their preferences and many have no preference for organ donation.

A Case for an Opt-Out Organ Donation System in Canada

“…There are encouraging statistics that show the majority of the population is in favour of organ donation [2,4,12]. As mentioned above, we can see that similar legislation has been accepted in other countries [5,7,9].…”

“…For example, the donor rate in Austria quadrupled after instituting 'opt-out' legislation. Similar regulations in Belgium doubled kidney donations [9]. In 2010, European countries with 'opt-out' systems such as Croatia, Portugal, and France had higher donation rates than 'opt-in' countries [9].…”

“…Furthermore, one must consider global trends while comparing donor rate increases. Yet, even while controlling for determining factors, studies show that 'opt-out' legislation increases donor rates [5,6,8,9]. For example, the donor rate in Austria quadrupled after instituting 'opt-out' legislation.…”

“…The wishes of the person who failed to register should still be taken into account. A 2015 study showed that the 'opt-out' model was preferred to the 'opt-in' model when trying to maximise the proportion of people who had their end-of-life wishes respected [9]. 73% of Canadians would donate their organs; however today, less than 20% have registered as a donor or have made other plans to donate [2,12].…”

How to obtain and maintain favorable results after heart transplantation: keys to success?

“…Having an opt-out law, the number of donors per million inhabitants in Belgium is among the highest in the world (8)(9)(10). This results in shorter waiting times, for patients on the regular and the HU waitlist.…”