News

Ethics body suggests NHS pays for funerals of organ donors

Published 20 October 2011

An ethics expert from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) has co-authored a new report that suggests the NHS pays for the funerals of organ donors.

Bobbie Farsides, Professor of Biomedical and Clincial Ethics at BSMS (run jointly between the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex), was a member of the working party for an 18-month investigation by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which considered how far society should go in trying to encourage people to donate organs, eggs, sperm, blood, tissue and whole bodies.

The Council's report, 'Human bodies: donation for medicine and research', concludes that altruism should continue to be central to the approach to all types of donation, but that this does not exclude the possibility of allowing some form of payment in some circumstances. You can read the report on the Nuffield Council on Bioethics website.

On organ donation, the working party argues that living organ donors should not receive payment other than the direct reimbursement of costs.

However, they suggest the introduction of a pilot scheme in which the NHS would meet funeral expenses for those who sign the Organ Donor Register and subsequently die in circumstances where they could become organ donors.

They do not recommend following the example of Spain and Belgium, which have 'opt-out' systems for deceased organ donation. In those countries it is assumed that people consent to donation unless they objected to this before they died, or unless their family objects.

"There will always be uncertainty about what the person really wanted with an opt-out system," says Professor Farsides. "The absence of a request to opt out could be a sign of the donor being confused or misinformed about the process, rather than a willingness to donate."

On egg and sperm donation, the working party concluded that lost earnings should be fully reimbursed for those donating eggs or sperm for others' treatment, so that they are not left out of pocket.

They suggest the introduction of a pilot scheme offering payment to women who donate eggs for research purposes, because the medical procedures that these women undergo involve discomfort, inconvenience and potential risks to their health. "We think that it's only fair for their contribution to be properly recognised," says Professor Farsides.