Bulgaria Rejects Informed Consent of Living Donors

The Members of the Bulgarian Parliament have rejected the proposal to restore the so-called informed consent of living donors. File photo

Bulgaria's Parliament has rejected at first reading the proposal to restore the so-called informed consent of living donors in the Human Organ Transplant Act.

According to information from the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, since the proposal by the right-wing Blue Coalition MP Lachezar Toshev was rejected, the current procedure remains unchanged and organs would be donated unless there is a formal opposition, made before one dies.

Bulgaria's ruling party GERB has stated that expressing consent while still living would put barriers on donation.

According to the GERB MP Lachezar Ivanov, the current legislation is working properly and it makes the procedure easier for the state because people who refuse to become donors are less than those who agree.

The Co-Chair of the Blue Coalition, Martin Dimitrov, has assessed the current principle for informed disagreement as a "formal decision that the state is making instead of citizens."

He claimed that people have to confirm their consent to become donors while still alive and that the state has to tell citizens to make a decision.  

Ivan Kostov, the leader of the conservative Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), has pointed out that the current legislation is providing "a wide open door" for donation and is working in favor of illegal donation abroad.

However, Evgeni Zhelev from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has stated that the current law is acceptable for physicians and citizens and does not create a social tension.

The ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party has also defended the current principle for "informed disagreement." Their MP, Tuncher Kardzhaliev, noted that precious time would be wasted if waiting for relatives of deceased to decide whether to donate organs or not.

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