Manitobans for Presumed Consent calls for changes to organ donation rules

Mendel Schnitzer, 67, said he still remembers how excited he was when he found out he was getting a kidney transplant in 1993.

"I went to the wrong hospital," the 67-year-old Manitoban said, with a laugh.

But since that kidney failed in 2000,Schnitzer hasbeen on awaitlist. Although the average wait time for a kidney in Manitoba is five to seven years, as more time passes, Schnitzerisn't sure he's going to experience the same jubilation again.

"I'm not optimistic after 16 years," he said.

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Across Canada, including in Manitoba,people mustregister to become organ donors. A group called Manitobans for Presumed Consent is pushing government to change those rules.

Instead of optingin to become donors, Manitobans for Presumed Consent wants everyone to be automatically considered a potential organ donor unless they indicate they don't want to be.

"A person needing a transplant, they have no choice. They have to wait," said Delcy-Ann Selymes of Manitobans for Presumed Consent.

"But people who are healthy, under presumed consent, they have the opportunity ...to opt out."

The cause is personal forSelymes. Herfour-year-old grandson, Charlie Dunn, has kidney disease and his doctors believe he will needthree kidney transplants over the course of his life.

"He could die waiting on a waitlist for one of those organs," Selymes said.

Manitoba has a low rate of organ donation compared to other provinces, according toa study released about a year ago by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Health Minister SharonBladysaidManitoba has seen an improvement in the rate oforgan donation over the last year.

She attributesthe gains to Manitoba's decision to alloworgans to be harvested after someone's heart stops beating and and todoctors speaking more withfamilies aboutorgan donation.

"It's really about having the conversation about what you want to do at end-of-life," Bladysaid. "It's a very personal decision. It involves individuals and their families."

While Bladyagrees withManitobans for Presumed Consent thatorgan donation rates need to go up further, legislating presumed consent is not something the NDP government is considering, she said.