Opt for Life organ donation campaigners Joe Brolly and Shane Finnegan have warmly welcomed the findings within the report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children which was released today.

Commenting they said, “We firmly support the Committee’s view that a soft opt-out system of organ donation in Ireland has the potential to vastly increase Ireland’s rate of organ donation.  With the required investment in essential infrastructure and a raised awareness of the system, supporting new legislation, there is the potential for Ireland to match the leading European donation countries.

“Waiting lists for organs continue to rise in Ireland and we can no-longer maintain the status quo which is failing patients the length and breadth of the country.  People are dying and this new proposal presents the beacon of life for many.  It is an opportunity that we must now take, with family consent at the heart of the process, ensuring that organ donation remains a gift freely given from one family to another.

“Jerry Buttimer deserves much credit for addressing this issue and acting so quickly in setting up stakeholder hearings after we first met him earlier this year to discuss this matter.  We look forward to supporting this process as it moves forward and believe that today has the potential to be a watershed for many patients suffering throughout Ireland.

For further information please  contact Katrina Frazer or John Megaughin at Aiken PR on 0044 2890 663000 or email katrina@aikenpr.com

Notes to editors:

1. For more information on the Opt for Life campaign please visit www.makelifeyourlegacy.com