I'll donate, but by my decision...

Earlier today, I saw a post on a forum regarding a petition being raised using the UK government's new online petition system (and there have been others using alternative online petition systems), which calls for the system of organ donation in the UK to be changed to an 'opt out' system. Essentially, this would be a system whereby you are automatically added to the organ donor register when you turn 18 and you would have to actively remove yourself from it if you objected.

My first reaction was "no way". Now, I did think about this; I have been on the organ donation register ever since I was 18 and would hope that even if I hadn't, my reasonably enlightened family would, should the worst happen to me, donate my wobbly bits so that someone else might benefit (we have enough medics in the family that it is a dead cert they would do so). So why did I immediately find the idea objectionable? Was it because opt out schemes inherently remove some control over your decisions? Was it because this would be offensive to many religious groups (not that I share their views as I am an atheist but thats no reason to deliberately offend them)? Was it because I don't like the idea that someone else makes a hugely important decision on my behalf without my consent and I then have to reverse it?

In truth, it was a little of all of these. At the risk of trvialising the issue, I would draw a very loose parallel with those irritating tick boxes that appear on more or less every order form or registration form on the net which have a statement next to them declaring that you either do or do not wish to have crap sent to you by every possible communication method. There has been some attempt to make these easier to understand by requiring them to NOT use confusing language and not opting you in by default to these odious marketing campaigns (with limited success as half the time you tick one box to opt out of one things and tick another to opt into something else but you tick or un-tick both and end up with crap no matter what you do unless you pay attention). This is a pretty trivial thing in the grand scheme of life, yet the government has tried to stop these schemes being an opt out system and make them opt in, so why would something so important and potentially contentious as organ donation be made opt out? The decision to become an organ donor is incredibly personal and is not something that should be assumed by society on your behalf because society believes it knows best.

I fully agree that awareness of the organ donation system needs to be raised to encourage people to register. The public should also be made aware of the need to inform their family of their registration to avoid possible problems should the worst happen to them. But to petition for a system whereby an intensely personal decision is taken away from people? Sorry, but I just can't support that.

Listening to: Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left