A public consultation has been launched into proposals to introduce an opt-out system of organ donation.

Garff MHK Martyn Perkins was given leave to introduce a private member’s bill on organ donation in October last year.

Currently, about 12,600 island residents are registered on the UK NHS Organ Donor Register.

Many people have made the generous gift of their organs and tissue to help someone else in the event of their death, but despite many people registering there is still a shortage of donors.

Mr Perkins’ Bill proposes a change to a ’presumed consent’ system, also known as an ’opt-out’ system.

This means that unless the deceased has expressed a wish in life not to be an organ donor then consent will be assumed.

This change is intended to help the system better reflect the position of the majority of people who would be happy to donate their organs and tissue when they die. It will also respect the decisions of those who do not wish to be donors.

The consultation, which was launched on Thursday last week, asks island residents about recording a decision to be an organ donor, individual and family consent, impacts on equalities groups, exceptions and safeguarding.

The Bill does not include donations from living donors (e.g. kidney donation) - it is solely about organs donated by people once they are deceased.

Mr Perkins said: ’Following conversations with healthcare professionals, the family members of donors, transplant patients and members of the public I have brought forward draft legislation about introducing a ’presumed consent’ system for organ donation for discussion.

’The donation of organs and tissue after death helps to save many lives each year and is life-changing for the recipients. I’d like to hear from Manx residents about their views on changing to an opt-out system.’

Diane Taylor lost her teenage son Daniel following a car accident in Lezayre in 2007 but draws comfort from the knowledge that his organs helped save the lives of four others. She welcomes the move towards an opt-out system, saying that given the shortage of organs for donation it is ’really time to do something’.

The consultation runs until June 8. You can access the consultation at https://consult.gov.im