Before the health committee’s discussions in the German Bundestag about the introduction of an opt-out system in the Transplantation Act, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Health Minister, Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU), once again called for support. “In Germany, around 8,400 people were waiting for an organ transplant at the end of 2023, but only 2,900 organs from 965 donors were transplanted in the entire year of 2023” Laumann told the Rheinische Post (Tuesday edition).
As a consequence of the organ shortage, people on the waiting list face the risk of death or unacceptably long waiting times for an organ offer, along with limitations in their quality of life. “The Bund and Länder have discussed organ donation in recent years, but the truth is that this has not yet led to a solution for our documentation problem. Only around 40% of people have documented their decision on organ donation” Laumann said to the newspaper.
In several surveys, approval rates for organ donation have consistently been above 80%. “I believe it is reasonable for an adult to take the decision on organ donation for themselves – while I clearly state that every decision, whether yes or no, is morally and in every way proper and in order.”
The way one thinks about organ donation is a deeply personal question and decision, Laumann said. “Do you want to or not? And I say it clearly: No justification is necessary. The question of deciding to let organs be removed after death, so that others can have a higher quality of life, is, in my view, a love testimony to humanity that goes beyond death. In this sense, I advocate for the introduction of the opt-out solution for organ donations.