'Opt-Out' Organ Donation Could Be Introduced To Stop Illegal Organ Trafficking

A proposal by a parliamentary committee could see big changes to organ donation, with it possible that people will be presumed to be donors unless they officially "opt out".

In an effort to thwart illegal trade of organs, MPs are reportedly considering the implementation of an 'opt-out' approach, which would mean that the default assumption is that a person is an organ donor, unless they opt out.

There are also talks of a law being introduced which would see Australians who have illegal organ transplants abroad charged when they return home to Australia.

Of the top ten organ donating countries in the world as of 2016, seven have been ‘opt-out’ for a number of years, and two more have adopted an opt-out system in the past year.

- Committee notes

Currently, only one in three Australians are registered organ donors.

It is thought that the introduction of an opt-out system could see this number increase by huge amounts.