The country should legislate for the organ donation system to move towards one where the donor’s wish is acknowledged by law and where relatives cannot overturn the donor’s wishes except in very rare occasions, shadow minister Claudette Buttiegieg said this morning.

Ms Buttigieg said in a statement the Nationalist Party approved a number of proposals on organ and tissue donation following a consultation process on the government’s consultation document “Proposal for Legislation on Organ and Tissue Donation” but would remain open to a wider discussion on the subject which required sensitive ethics.

It proposed that the age for a person to decide whether or not to become a donor go down from 18 to 16.

In the case of people who would have expressed a wish to become a donor but were unregistered, the family would be free to donate that person’s organs.

To facilitate donor registration, the party proposed an informative and extensive campaign and the possibility for donors to register whenever they received a health service at any level of care at all hospitals and health centres.

If a registered donor changed his or her mind, this should also be registered.

Registration should be easy and comprehensive for a donors’ wishes to be clear and respected.

Ms Buttigieg said that a clear procedure should be followed in obtaining a person’s approval to become a donor.

The PN said it would fully participate at all levels of debate on the matter in the legisltive process to ensure that the individual’s will and dignity were respected.