Organ donation bill not enough, former MLA says
Posted Nov 12, 2014 07:13:32 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The provincial government is proclaiming a 2010 bill passed by the NDP government of the time, which keeps family members from vetoing an organ donation commitment.
But former Progressive Conservative MLA Brian Young says the Liberals could do more.
Young lost his 15-year-old daughter after she waited two years for a double-lung transplant.
He says the proclamation of this bill is a step in the right direction, but presumed consent would save more lives.
Presumed consent means everyone would be an organ donor, unless they opt out.
“It [has] the option of not participating,” said Young.
“If there was no choice, we wouldn’t support it.”
Health Minister Leo Glavine floated the idea of presumed consent last year to deal with the serious wait list for organ transplants in the province.
But he said recently the overwhelming response from Nova Scotians was, “we want to choose.”
