| Act of the National Assembly for Wales | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act of the National Assembly for Wales to make provision concerning the consent required for the removal, storage and use of human organs and tissue for the purpose of transplantation; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2013 anaw 5 |
| Introduced by | Lesley Griffiths |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 10 September 2013 |
| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | Human Tissue Act 2004 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 (anaw 5) (Welsh: Deddf Trawsblannu Dynol (Cymru) 2013) is an act of the National Assembly for Wales, passed in July 2013. It permits an opt-out system of organ donation, known as presumed consent, or deemed consent. The act allows hospitals to presume that people aged 18 or over, who have been resident in Wales for over 12 months, want to donate their organs at their death, unless they have objected specifically.[1] The act varies the Law of England and Wales in Wales (still applicable in England), which relied on an opt-in system; whereby only those who have signed the NHS organ donation register, or whose families agreed, were considered to have consented to be organ donors.[2]
The law came into effect in 2015, which allowed time for a Welsh Government public information campaign to take effect.[2]
The act is considered by the Welsh Government to be the "most significant piece of legislation" passed in Wales since additional lawmaking powers were acquired by the Assembly in 2011, under the Government of Wales Act 2006.[3]
- ^ Heather Saul (3 July 2013). "Opt-out scheme for organ donation given go-ahead in Wales". The Independent. London. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Q&A: Organ donation planned changes in Wales". BBC News website. BBC News. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
- ^ "Historic day for organ donation in Wales". Storify by Welsh Government/Llywodraeth Cymru. Welsh Government. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.