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.”

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