Northern Ireland Consults on Opt-Out

Northern Ireland has just launched a public consultation on proposals to switch from an Opt-In to an Opt-Out system. I was particularly pleased to see that the BBC article on this made no mention of 'presumed consent' - an idea that I've criticised elsewhere. Instead, the proposal is put in straightforward terms: it makes donation easier for those who want to donate, while allowing a refusal for those that do not. Notably, however, the proposal is for a 'soft opt-out' in which the next of kin retain a veto: "However, it proposes to make little change to the current key role played by the family in the final decision in relation to donation of organs. A family would still be consulted for additional medical information and asked about any unregistered objection to donation.".