Within the philosophical and policy literature on organ donation, it is often claimed that a legitimate alternative in countries where the explicit consent of would-be organ donors (and/or their families, post-mortem) is currently required would be the implementation of a policy of ‘presumed consent’, also known as ‘opt out’ or ‘deemed authorisation.’

The justifications often forwarded for such systems are twofold. First, it is claimed that implementing an opt out system is likely to increase the supply of organs available for transplantation and thus move some way towards closing the gap between supply and demand for these scarce resources. Second, it is suggested that such a system is likely to prove a more successful way of satisfying the preferences of would-be organ donors given the human tendency to inertia.

As a result, many have welcomed the announcement of a government consultation on organ donation on the 12th of December 2017 which seeks the views of individuals and institutions on how and whether a policy of presumed consent could work in England, with a focus on the role of the family veto in deceased organ donation, exemptions to an opt out policy for organ procurement, and the effects of this new policy on different demographics.

Given the importance of this proposal and its potential impact on organ and tissue donation in England the aim of this event is to facilitate high-quality debate surrounding the potential merits and demerits of the policy proposal and to encourage the production of thoughtful written responses to the consultation from both individuals and institutions:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introducing-opt-out-consent-for-organ-and-tissue-donation-in-england

The workshop will take place over the course of one day and will include 3 presentation sessions and a panel discussion of the most pressing questions the proposal poses.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

Dr. Iain Brassington (University of Manchester)

Dr. John Chisholm (British Medical Association)

Dr. Sara Fovargue (Lancaster University)

Prof. John Harris (Kings College London, University of Manchester)

Dr. Neil Manson (Lancaster University)

Prof. Janet Radcliffe-Richards (University of Oxford)

Dr. Ben Saunders (University of Southampton)

Prof. Stephen Wilkinson (Lancaster University)

Dr. Nicola Williams (Lancaster University)

Katharine Wright (Nuffield Council On Bioethics)

This event has been jointly funded by The Society For Applied Philosophy and The Wellcome Trust.