Brown wants more organ donation in UK
Sun, 13 Jan 2008 16:10:11 GMTBy RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer
LONDON - Britain's prime minister called Sunday for overhauling the country's organ donation system to make it easier for doctors to remove body parts from deceased patients without prior consent.
Gordon Brown noted in an opinion piece that more than a thousand people die in Britain each year waiting for organ transplants.
Switching to a Spanish-style "opt-out" system — in which consent is presumed — could save thousands of lives, he wrote in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
"A system of this kind seems to have the potential to close the aching gap between the potential benefits of transplant surgery and the limits imposed by our current system of consent," Brown said.
Under current British law, organs may be removed only from patients who make their consent known — for example, by carrying an organ donor card — or with the consent of a family member if intent was not specified.
An "opt-out" system would presume consent unless potential donors explicitly registered their disapproval. That would make it easier for doctors to approach families with requests for donations, said Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association's medical ethics committee.
"It changes the awareness of people about organ donation and transplantation in general," he said.
In Spain, the rate of organ donation is now more than 2.5 times higher than in Britain. More than 7,500 people are waiting for organs in Britain.
"In Spain, where they made this change, there has been a considerable increase in the number of organs available," Calland said.
Patients' rights groups were skeptical.
"We don't think a private decision, which is a matter of individual conscience, should be taken by the state," said Katherine Murphy, a spokeswoman for Britain's Patients Association.
"If people want to give the gift of life, that is their right. But it must be something that is a voluntary matter," she said.
UK Transplant, the agency that manages Britain's transplant infrastructure, said it welcomed debate. But it noted that Sweden, which also uses an opt-out system, still has organ donation levels as low as Britain.
Man in antismoking ads still smokes
Sat, 12 Jan 2008 01:21:11 GMTNEW YORK - He's the poster boy for the state's new anti-smoking campaign. But 48-year-old Skip Legault is still smoking — despite an amputated leg, two heart attacks and a stroke. The state Department of Health confirmed Friday that they chose a smoker for the ads, saying it helps underscore the risks associated with nicotine addiction.
In the ad, Legault, looking into the camera and supporting himself on crutches, recites a litany of health woes, including a first heart attack at age 28 and another at 29, then says: "Every bit of this is from smoking."
Dr. Richard F. Daines, the state health commissioner, defended the campaign, which began running on television, in newspapers and on the Internet in November and ends Jan. 22.
"Here's someone who's willing to step forward and show his weaknesses in public," Daines said. "I think it took a lot of courage."
A message left for Legault on his home phone was not immediately returned.
But in an interview with the Daily News, which first reported the story, he said, "I don't tell anyone to quit smoking. I tell people the effects smoking does to me and people I've been in contact with."
Legault, who once smoked three packs a day but has cut back to half a pack, was paid $4,000 for his time in producing the ads, the health department said.
Daines said the fact that Legault hasn't been able to kick the habit "demonstrates how extreme this addiction can get."
"Smoking is still the single most reversible, avoidable cause of premature vascular disease," he said. "High blood pressure typically takes lifetime treatment. For smoking, you just have to stop smoking and the risks decline."
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New York State Department of Health: http://www.health.state.ny.us
