CONSERVATIVE MEP WELCOMES EU MOVE TO MAKE LIVING ORGAN DONATIONS EASIER
Posted, May 19, 2010 @ 00:00
Strasbourg 19 May 2010. Conservative MEP for London Marina Yannakoudakis today welcomed a vote in the European Parliament that supported her calls for clear safety standards for organ donations across the EU and widen the criteria of people able to make living organ donations.
Marina said that the new rules approved by MEPs will increase confidence with cross-border donation.
MEPs want each EU country to set up an authority that will oversee strict rules relating to procurement, traceability and safety. This would end the real and urban myth horror stories of the black market in organ donation.
The directive ensures that donors are protected by providing an evaluation of the health of the donor and a list of the comprehensive risks about the dangers involved with donation.
Amendments tabled by Mrs Yannakoudakis will also ensure that living donation is not restricted to family or close friends so long as it is not for commercial gain.
Speaking today after the vote Marina said,
"I am delighted that MEPs have recognised that post mortem donations can not achieve the supply of organs needs alone. We have set up controls and guidelines to ensure that living organ donation can be widened, potentially saving lives and enabling people outside of the immediate family circle to help if they want to.
"This move also assures recipients that the donated organs are fully traceable and safe. This can only be good news and will put to bed all the horror stories, some real, some imagined about stolen, sold or worse organs. I now call on the Commission to act quickly. Every day wasted is a potential life lost."