Nova Scotia has passed a law which presumes that individuals are willing to be organ donors. This is a major shift in thinking from the current Canada-wide system which presumes that people are not organ donors unless they say so in writing.
There has been quite a bit of talk about this concept in several jurisdictions, but Nova Scotia will be the first in North America to put it into action. Over the next year and a half, before the law becomes fully active, there will be intensive training for staff and education for the public.
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What are your thoughts?
The big question for me is: Can the family override this presumption? In Ontario, we have embraced the "cardiac death" requirement instead of the stricter "brain death". And now I am no longer comfortable donating any organs. I cancelled my donor consent and my children know my wishes. As unlikely as it is that I would be eligible to be a donor, should the same ever come to Ontario, I hope my family's wishes would be honoured. Not a popular view I realize but I can't help how I feel about things. - Linda
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