Decision in the Federal Council - NRW Minister Laumann calls for opt-out solution for organ donation: "I won't let up"
Mr. Laumann, together with your colleague from Baden-Württemberg, you have launched an initiative in the state parliament: you want to change the current regulations on organ donation. Why?8000 people are currently waiting for an organ in Germany and many of them will die. Because there are not enough donors. We are seeing more and more clearly that the consent rule is not enough.
This states that people must actively consent to a donation during their lifetime or after their death, but not enough do. We have a considerable problem in Germany when it comes to organ donations. The number of donors is not only stagnating, it is actually falling.
With your motion, you want to call on the Bundestag to vote again on the objection regulation. Just over three years ago, MPs rejected this and instead passed a law "to strengthen the willingness to make decisions". Shouldn't the new measures be given a chance first? I see it differently. In the meantime, everything has been done to bring the figures up within the framework of our consent regulations. We have to be honest and admit that none of this is helping. We can't wait any longer.
Among other things, a register has been announced in which people will be able to record their consent to organ donation online. This is still under construction. So you think: "It won't help anyway?"Yes, but only if there is an opt-out solution. Then the register would have the power to document the entire population. Without the opt-out solution, only those who actively register for the register would be recorded. In this respect, it would do no more in terms of documentation than filling out an organ donor card. I am firmly convinced that if we want a strong transplantation medicine, we have to come to an opt-out solution. Look at other countries such as Spain and Austria. The opt-out solution applies there. That's why there are significantly more donations there. In Spain, people wait two years for a new kidney. In Germany it is eight to ten years.
Baden-Württemberg could serve as a counter-example: There were 22 percent more donors here last year than in the previous year. So it is possible to increase the number after all - even with the current regulation. I don't know the specific reasons for this in Baden-Württemberg. But one thing is certain: if you look at the figures for Germany as a whole and compare them with other countries, our figures are shamefully low. The fact that the situation here is not much worse than it already is is only due to the fact that we can also receive organs from other countries via Eurotransplant. We benefit from their higher numbers. But this must not be allowed to continue. The other countries rightly say: this is unfair - you need more donors yourselves.
Could you have done more in North Rhine-Westphalia?We have tried everything within the existing regulations. For example, we have transplant officers in all hospitals. But even with this, there is a lot of rejection because the relatives usually don't know what the deceased person thought about it. And therefore, in case of doubt, do not agree to a donation.
The regulation you have suggested means that if I do not actively object, organs can be removed from me after my death. Even if I perhaps didn't want this at all. However, physical integrity is even enshrined in the Basic Law. Every adult can be expected to make the decision for or against it. Both are fine, yes or no, you just have to decide. I think that the state can demand this of its citizens. After all, that's how it is in other countries too. This would also improve the situation for doctors in hospitals and for the bereaved, who are often overwhelmed by the current regulations in a traumatic situation.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is also in favor of an opt-out solution. As the responsible minister, he could simply introduce such a bill in the Bundestag - but he does not want to do so because the initiative must come from parliament, he argues. How disappointed are you?I know that Mr. Lauterbach feels the same way as I do on this issue. There is no paper between the two of us on this issue.
But because it is not Lauterbach, but you as state minister, who are taking matters into your own hands, there is a problem. Even if the Bundesrat approves your motion on Friday: It is not legally binding. But it would send a clear signal. If we get a clear majority in favor, the federal legislator should act. I will then wait and see if anything happens there. If this is not the case, I will pull out all the stops and introduce a bill in the state parliament. This would force the Bundestag to deal with the issue. I will not let up on this matter.
Should your demand make it into the Bundestag: Why do you assume that anything has changed in the rejectionist attitude of the MPs since the last vote? In the meantime, elections have been held and it is now a new Bundestag with many new MPs. It is therefore right that it should discuss the issue again. I am confident about this.
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- Karl-Josef Laumann and his counterpart from Baden-Württemberg have initiated a change in organ donation regulations in their state parliament, aiming to reduce the waiting list of 8000 individuals in Germany.
- Laumann argues that the current consent rule, which requires active consent during lifetime or after death for organ donations, is insufficient, leading to a significant organ donation problem in Germany.
- The motion from Laumann and his colleague calls for the Bundestag to reconsider the objection regulation, which was rejected almost three years ago and replaced by legislation to boost decision-making.
- Laumann believes that the new measures have not been effective, citing the stagnating and even declining number of donors in Germany, and advocates for an opt-out solution to increase the number of registered donors.
- Some argue that Germany could learn from other countries like Spain, which has an opt-out system and significantly lower waiting times for organ transplants.
- The CDU's North Rhine-Westphalia Minister Karl-Josef Laumann and his counterpart from Baden-Württemberg, despite their opposition to the current regulation, have both seen an increase in donations in their respective regions.
Source: www.stern.de
