Parliamentary Briefing - STAGE 1 DEBATE: HUMAN TISSUE (AUTHORISATION) (SCOTLAND) BILL

The RCN supports the principles of the Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Bill. In 2018 the RCN issued a position statement on soft opt out organ donation.

The Royal College of Nursing supports an opt-out system of consent for organ and tissue donations after death, where there is evidence that certain safeguards, supports and resources are in place.”

The RCN reached this position after it surveyed members across the UK. 7,746 members across completed the survey.
71% of RCN members were broadly in favour of an opt-out system of consent for organ and tissue donation (rating between 7 and 10 on a scale of 0-10 from opt-in to opt-out). The majority support for an opt-out system was reflected across all four countries of the UK: Wales (75%); England (69%); Scotland (71%), and Northern Ireland (73%).