Maori may oppose organ donation 15 April 2004
By SID PICKERING
Maori will oppose a Health Ministry proposal to make all New Zealanders donate their organs after death unless they forbid it, a Tainui tikanga expert says.
The proposal is one of four options listed in a ministry review of laws administering human tissue, aimed at increasing the number of organ donations.
Tui Adams said many Maori would not support presumed consent for organ donation because it opposes cultural protocols.
"There are many Maori that are strictly against organ donation and would not support it in any way whatsoever," Dr Adams said.
The system would allow people who had not made it clear what their position on organ donation was to "slip through the gaps".
But Maori opinion on organ donation could evolve, the same way it has for blood donation.
"It used to be that Maori did not donate blood, but now that's becoming more common."
New Zealand has one of the lowest rates of organ donation in the developed world. At any one time there are about 350 people waiting for organs, with some waiting up to 30 months. The document suggests the system, used successfully in France and a number of other countries, could be the most effective way of boosting the number of organs available for transplant.
The review suggested presumed consent would be a cheaper way of organising organ donation because less money would need to be spent on advertising, and health workers would spend less time getting consent from families.
back to top
   | 
