Matters of life and death

Green NO; Dorey NO; Brouard NO; Soulsby NO; Prow NO; Tindall NO; Gollop NO; Lowe NO and by default Le Tocq NO; Louis Jean NO; Medical Profession NO.

All those in favour of killing for the purpose of harvesting human organs for transplant?

Green YES; Dorey YES; Brouard YES; Soulsby YES; Prow YES; Tindall YES; Gollop YES; Lowe YES and by default Le Tocq YES; Louis Jean YES; Medical Profession YES.

The logic of the contradiction beggars belief. Is the position taken based on ignorance, hypocrisy, political expediency and/or greed? It has to be one of those and thus makes them unworthy of their position. And where is the register so we can opt out? They have been very quiescent regarding that which should have been put in place alongside the decision to need to now opt out.

You will not allow me the right to die when I have lost everything I would live for, when the burden of living has become so intolerable, yet you will happily allow someone to remove my organs, without anaesthetic, while my body is still in corporeal existence and thereby kill me!

Organs are rendered useless at the point of death and so the body must be alive when they are removed. Welcome to Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ and Orwell’s ‘1984’. Welcome to 21st century complicit murder!

You cite the slippery slope argument against ‘assisted dying’ yet you cannot see the dangerous path you are leading society, when there is a shortage of organs for transplant and a profession that will benefit from the large fees they charge to carry out the offal harvest on a person who cannot confirm consent at that point, and enjoy even larger fees for the transplantation.

It would not surprise me if they did not have a recommended price list for each organ removed and fitted.

Barriers are put in our way that makes it virtually impossible to travel to institutions that will carry out our wishes – and if you can get around the medical establishment obstinacy, you have to do it when you still have an unspecified span of a yet worthwhile life. In the future I can envisage barriers being put in the way of preventing the removal of a loved one’s organs, even where there is an express wish of the soon-to-be-murdered person against having their organs harvested.

You will never gain my consent to kill me or any of my loved ones no matter how much emotional blackmail is applied, or worthy the intent. I am desperately sorry for the plight of those with organ failure but no one should have to die under a barbaric, clinical procedure to achieve that goal.

JANSON BEWEY,

Ommadawn,

Rue Colin,

Vale.

Deputy Heidi Soulsby, president of the Committee for Health & Social Care, responds:

Health and Social Care is pleased to be able to respond to the letter you have passed on for comment. The letter seems to be compounding two very different clinical circumstances. Guernsey has worked with the transplant service, which is operated by the NHS Blood and Transplant Service (NHSBTS), for over 24 years. Such donations are always from patients who have already died, as demonstrated by tests such as on the brain stem, and whose physiological function is being maintained only by the use of machines and other supportive therapy. Although less than one percent of people die in circumstances where it is possible for them to be an organ donor, these patients by donation of their organs may potentially save or enhance the lives of up to nine individuals. Guernsey residents have been often the beneficiaries of Health & Social Care’s participation in this scheme.

The key point is no patient is having any treatment which would shorten their lives to allow their organs to be used; they have already, sadly, passed away. Furthermore, as the island participates in the NHSBTS scheme, which matches the best recipient to the organs, no one is paid or makes a profit from these donations.

It is the policy of Health & Social Care and NHSBTS that where an individual or their family are strongly opposed to donating organs this will not be carried out against such expressed wishes. An individual is presently able to decline organ donation on the NHSBTS website: www.organdonation.nhs.uk/register-to-donate/more-information-about-your-choices/. The ‘soft’ opt-out scheme will continue to provide individuals who do not wish to donate their organs the ability to register their wishes against doing so.