Ethical Issues Raised on International Organ Donation Day

For the annual International Organ Donation Day, held on June 22, 2018, the French Biomedicine Agency launched an awareness campaign to promote donations. Their objective is to clarify the meaning of the presumed consent for organ donation stated in the 2016 Health Act in France, which has created uneasiness and apprehension that human bodies could be state controlled.
Organ donation has been addressed during the ongoing French National Bioethical Consultations. According to the French Biomedical Agency, there were 5,891 transplants in 2016, but nevertheless as of January 1^st, 2017, there were still 14,500 patients on the waiting list for an organ transplant: an increase of 29.8% in the past 10 years in this country.
Although donations are to be encouraged in order to save lives, specific guidelines must be strictly respected. It is a major challenge to respect the people in such situation, especially the most vulnerable, and also to promote the practice of organ donation, which is based on mutual trust and confidence between those who are cared for and caregivers.