Anglican Communion News Service

The leaders of three church denominations in Wales are joining forces to oppose the Welsh Government’s proposals to change the law on organ donation.

Leaders of the Church in Wales, the Roman Catholic church and the Wales Eastern Orthodox Mission have today (MONDAY) sent a joint response to the Government on its plans to introduce presumed consent for organ donation in Wales.

The Government published its White Paper, Proposals for Legislation on Organ and Tissue Donation in November and public consultation continues until the end of January. The church response is signed by all the bishops of the Church in Wales and Roman Catholic Bishops in Wales, including the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan (CiW) and the Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack (RC). It is also signed by Father Deiniol, Archimandrite of the Wales Eastern Orthodox Mission.

While fully supporting the principle of organ donation, the church leaders outline their objections to presumed consent and urge the Government to reconsider. They call for an independent body to conduct a genuinely open consultation considering a range of possibilities, without prior commitments to a particular legislative proposal.  This should look at systems that include aspects of opt-in, opt-out and mandated choice.

They warn, “If the proposals in the White Paper are not subject to independent scrutiny then there is a real danger that a change in the law would alienate a significant proportion of the public and undermine the positive image of organ donation and the reputation of Wales. For while a high rate of voluntary donation speaks of a culture of generosity, a system of presumed consent would “turn donation into action by default”.

The key messages from the joint submission include:

• Organ donation is a profoundly Christian and positive act. 
• The positive ethos of donation as a free gift is endangered by an ill-judged if well intentioned proposal to move from voluntary donation to presumed consent.
• Extreme concern that while responses are being invited on the proposals in the White Paper, the central proposal, which is the shift from donation to presumed consent, is presented as a fait accompli.
• The belief that changing from opt-in to opt-out would improve the rate of transplantation is not justified by the available evidence.  It should not be taken for granted that changing the law to a system of opt-out/presumed consent would increase the availability of organs for transplantation.  
• The most effective way to increase rates of both organ donation and family agreement to donation after death is to encourage people to sign the Organ Donation Register and to talk about the issue with relatives and those close to them.
• The White Paper calls for a “soft opt-out” system in which the relatives will always be consulted, but the ideas of “consultation” or being “involved in the process” are ambiguous. The law needs to state unambiguously whether relatives will be able to refuse permission for the removal of organs.

On Saturday about 100 people attended a Church in Wales organised public meeting to discuss the morality of presumed consent. They heard view points from the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan; Roy Thomas, Executive Chair of Kidney Wales Foundation; and Dr Chris Jones, Medical Director of NHS Wales. it was held at St John the Baptist church in Cardiff city centre.

For more information or for a full copy of the Churches’ response to the White Paper, please contact:

Anna Morrell
Archbishop's Media Officer / Swyddog y Cyfryngau i'r Archesgob
Tel: 02920 348208; mobile: 07 91 91 587 94
39 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff / 39 Heol y Gadeirlan, Caerdydd CF11 9XF
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk
http://www.eglwysyngnghymru.org.uk
Twitter: @ChurchinWales

Eglwysi yn ymuno yn erbyn y cynnig ar gydsyniad tybiedig

Mae arweinwyr tri enwad eglwysig yng Nghymru yn uno i wrthwynebu cynnig Llywodraeth Cymru i newid y gyfraith ar roi organau.

Heddiw (DYDD LLUN) anfonodd arweinwyr yr Eglwys yng Nghymru, yr Eglwys Gatholig a Chenhadaeth Uniongred Ddwyreiniol Cymru ymateb ar y cyd i'r Llywodraeth ar ei chynlluniau i gyflwyno cydsyniad tybiedig ar gyfer rhoi organau yng Nghymru.

Cyhoeddodd y llywodraeth ei Phapur Gwyn, Cynigion ar gyfer Deddfwriaeth ar Roi Organau a Meinweoedd  ym mis Tachwedd ac mae'r ymgynghoriad yn parhau hyd ddiwedd mis Ionawr. Llofnodwyd ymateb yr eglwysi gan holl Esgobion yr Eglwys yng Nghymru a'r Esgobion Catholig yng Nghymru, yn cynnwys Archesgob Cymru, Dr Barry Morgan (yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) ac Archesgob Caerdydd, George Stack (yr Eglwys Gatholig). Fe'i llofnodwyd hefyd gan y Tad Deiniol, Archimandriad Cenhadaeth Uniongred Ddwyreiniol Cymru.

Er yn llwyr gefnogi egwyddor rhoi organau, mae'r arweinwyr eglwysig yn amlinellu eu gwrthwynebiadau i gydsyniad tybiedig ac yn annog y Llywodraeth i ailystyried. Galwant am gorff annibynnol i gynnal ymgynghoriad gwirioneddol agored yn ystyried amred o bosibiliadau, heb ymrwymiadau blaenorol i gynnig deddfwriaethol neilltuol. Dylai hyn edrych ar systemau sy'n cynnwys agweddau o eithrio mewn, eithrio allan a dewis mandadol.

Rhybuddiant , "Os nad oes craffu annibynnol ar y cynigion yn y  Papur Gwyn, yna mae perygl go iawn y gallai newid yn y gyfraith ddieithrio cyfran sylweddol o'r cyhoedd a thanseilio'r ddelwedd gadarnhaol o roi organau ac enw da Cymru. Er bod cyfradd uchel o gyfraniad gwirfoddol yn arwydd o ddiwylliant o haelioni, byddai system o ganiatâd tybiedig yn "troi rhodd yn weithredu diofyn".

Mae'r negeseuon allweddol o'r cyflwyniad ar y cyd yn cynnwys:

• Mae rhoi organnau yn weithred Gristnogol a chadarnhaol ddybryd.
• Caiff yr ethos cadarnhaol o roi fel rhodd am ddim ei beryglu gan gynnig annoeth er gyda bwriadau da i symud ymaith o gyfrannu gwirfoddol i gydsyniad tybiedig.
• Pryder mawr, er y gwahoddir ymatebion ar y cynigion yn y Papur Gwyn, bod y cynnig canolog, sy'n symud o gyfrannu at gydsyniad tybiedig, yn cael ei gyflwyno fel fait accompli.
• Ni chaiff y gred y byddai newid o eithrio mewn i eithrio allan yn gwella'r gyfradd drawsblannu ei chyfiawnhau gan y dystiolaeth sydd ar gael. Ni ddylid cymryd yn ganiataol y byddai newid y gyfraith i system o eithrio allan/cydsyniad tybiedig yn cynyddu argaeledd organau ar gyfer trawsblannu.
• Y ffordd fwyaf effeithiol i gynyddu cyfraddau ar gyfer rhoi organau a chytundeb teuluoedd i gyfrannu ar ôl marwolaeth yw annog pobl i lofnodi'r Gofrestr Cyfrannu Organau ac i siarad am y mater gyda pherthnasau a'r rhai sy'n agos atynt.
• Geilw'r Papur Gwyn am system "eithrio allan meddal" lle ymgynghorir â pherthnasau bob amser, ond bod y syniadau o "ymgynghoriad" neu "gymryd rhan yn y broses" yn amwys. Mae angen i'r gyfraith ddweud yn ddiamwys os gall perthnasau wrthod caniatâd tynnu organau.