Memorandum by Stuart Taylor and David
Thewlis
1. We make this submission as having a profound
interest in organ donation having been affected by the removal
and retention of organs from babes which was contrary to our wishes
as Christians seeking to live our lives according to the Truth
contained in the Holy Scriptures.
2. ln this submission we wish to respond
specifically to three of the bullet points set out on page two
of the paper. They are bullet points one, three and four of the
section inviting responses on issues of relevance to the Commission
document.
3. Bullet Point 1—Questions which
may arise in relation to organ donation and transplantation from
a faith-based point of view.
Response: Very simply, Scripture makes clear our
concerns: "Ye are not your own, For ye have been bought with
a price" 1 Corinthians 6 v19-20; As Creator and Redeemer,
Christ has a claim on our bodies.
4. Bullet Point 3—The "presumed
consent" approach.
Response: With "Informed or Explicit Consent"
being the `cornerstone' of the excellent Human Tissue Act recently
enacted in this country ,we would strongly urge the Committee
to resist any changes whatsoever towards "Presumed Consent".
5. Bullet Point 4—Arrangements for
taking into account views of relatives.
Response: The present provisions in the Act are good
namely that a person's expressed, intelligent wishes should be
carefully considered alongside those of the next of kin.
6. We are at a loss to understand why Article
152(4)(a) should be cited—are the Commission infering that
`harmonised measures' would mean that every member state has to
adopt the "Presumed Consent" approach to achieve harmony?
The UK Government has a moral responsibility to stand by the excellent
standard of the Human Tissue Act—"Informed Consent".
5 November 2007
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