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HEALTH

Bundestag votes against ‘opt-out’ system of organ donation in Germany

The Bundestag has voted against a proposal for a new 'presumed consent' organ donation system.

Published: 16 January 2020 14:10 CET
Bundestag votes against 'opt-out' system of organ donation in Germany
An organ donor card. Photo: DPA

It means the country’s organ donation laws, which require people to ‘opt-in’ to express explicit consent, will stay in place.

On Thursday, following an emotional debate, the Bundestag rejected plans from a group of MPs led by Health Minister Jens Spahn, of the Christian Democrats, and Social Democrats' health expert Karl Lauterbach.

They wanted to change the rules so that citizens in Germany would be asked to state whether they object to having their organs or tissue harvested after they are pronounced brain dead.

Those who say “no” would be listed in a national registry run by the Health Ministry, while all others would be considered potential donors – a principle in place across most of the EU.

In a roll-call vote, 379 MPs voted against the proposal, 292 supported it and three abstained.

Instead, there was a majority in favour of extending the current system but urging more people to opt-in.

The parliament backed the motion by a group led by Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock, Left Party leader Katja Kipping and Bundestag Vice-President Wolfgang Kubicki of the Free Democrats.

A total of 432 MPs voted in favour, 200 against and 37 abstained. In principle, the current regulation remains in force: organs and tissue may only be removed after death if the person concerned has given his or her consent during his or her lifetime, has an organ donor card or the relatives have agreed to the removal.

However, in a bid to shorten Germany's transplant waiting lists, people will be asked in future if they'd like to donate organs at least every 10 years, when renewing their national identity card.

They will also be able to register to donate with a new online register.

READ ALSO: Germany debates changing to 'opt-out' organ donation system

9,000 people waiting

Waiting lists for organs in Germany are getting longer, but the willingness to donate is declining.

According to figures from the German Foundation for Organ Donation, there were more than 1,300 donors in 2007 but in 2017 there were less than 900. A total of 932 people donated an organ last year.

More than 9,000 seriously ill people are currently on the organ waiting list in Germany. About 7,500 are waiting for a kidney. The rest hope for a heart, lung, liver or pancreas.

With 11.5 donors per million people, Germany's organ donation rate is fairly low compared to other countries. In Spain that number is 48, while it's 30.8 in the US.

Those who supported the 'opt-out' system said it would save lives.

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HEALTH

Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Danish stores sold a significantly lower quantity of alcohol and cigarettes over the counter last year, new data from Statistics Denmark show.

Published: 14 June 2024 07:42 CEST
Are Danes cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol?

Some 3,852 cigarettes were sold year, which amounts to 804 per person over the age of 18. But that compares to a figures of 854 per person on 2022.

Cigarette sales in Denmark have been declining since 2018.

Sales of sprits, beer and wine fell by 7.8 percent, 5.3 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

Danish business sold the equivalent of 44.4 million litres of pure alcohol, which works out at 11.9 units per week on average for each person over the age of 18.

Although that is a lower value than in 2022, it still exceeds the amount recommended by the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen).

The Health Authority recommends that adults over 18 drink no more than 10 units per week and no more than four in a single day.

READ ALSO: Should Denmark raise the minimum age for buying alcohol?

“The numbers are still too high and it’s an average that could have a skewed distribution,” University of Southern Denmark professor, Janne Tholstrup, said in relation to the alcohol sales figures. Tholstrup has published research on Denmark’s alcohol culture.

That is in spite of a 30-year-trend of falling alcohol consumption, according to the professor.

“The majority of Danes stay under the recommended 10 unite per week. That means there is a large group with a persistently excessive consumption of alcohol,” she said.

The Statistics Denmark figures also show that sales of loose tobacco – such as the type used in roll-up cigarettes and pipes – also fell last year. Some 58 tonnes less were sold compared to 2022.

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