Scotland rules out organ donor incentives
The Scottish Government has ruled out incentivising organ donors through paying towards their funeral expenses, ahead of a consultation on organ donation.
Aileen Campbell MSP, the Minister for Public Health, confirmed that there were “absolutely no plans” to offer incentives.
She said: “Scottish legislation forbids the offer of payment of any inducement for the supply of an organ.
“Our consultation will include proposals for a potential soft opt-out system for Scotland.”
Golden Charter’s Ronnie Wayte said: “This is a delicate question, and we welcome the clarity this statement brings for funeral directors.
“It is a complex issue which obviously affects Independents directly.
“On the one hand it is of course important that families are able to afford a funeral, and on the other there is an obvious moral dimension to using that to incentivise organ donation, as the legislation forbidding it reflects.”
Tags: Aileen Campbell, donation, Golden Charter, Government, MSP, organ, organs, Ronnie Wayte, Scotland, Scottish Government