Mandating organ

Studies of decisions made by the relatives of brain-dead donations found half of those asked for consent didn’t feel competent to make the decision, a feeling exacerbated by the sense of urgency.

There’s also evidence that people forced to act in a highly emotional state later regret their decisions.

Many people would be horrified to find their wishes hadn’t actually been carried out – so shouldn’t we be making a system that protects their decisions?

While the Human Tissues Act and Human Tissue Authority’s Code of Practice sets out our right to choose for ourselves, it also says doctors must also seek permission from the closest relative of the deceased.

As well as meaning a person’s wishes can be overridden, this also means one person could stop donation – even if the majority of family members do agree.

If our decisions aren’t respected, you could argue these rights are being interfered with.

The current system in the UK varies depending on where you live.