Let\u2019s talk organ donation. How many of you knew about the Organ Donation Act in Wales? Did you know about \u2018opting-in\u2019 or \u2018opting-out\u2019? Let\u2019s talk about it.<\/p>\n
Currently in Wales there is a scheme which came into effect in January of 2015 in an attempt to increase the number of organ donations throughout Wales. It states that you can \u2018opt-in\u2019 or \u2018opt-out\u2019 of organ donation. But what does that mean? It means that in the event of your death, a decision has to be made on whether or not your organs will be donated. Without making a decision about whether you want your organs to be donated or not (the \u2018opt-in\u2019 or \u2018opt-out\u2019 policies as they are dubbed) the decision is in your family\u2019s hands. With your consent to be an organ donor post-mortem (by \u2018opting-in\u2019) and by ticking the box on your card which states your family is aware of your decision, there is no dispute. The same happens if you decide you don\u2019t want to be an organ donor (by \u2018opting-out\u2019).<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t make a decision \u2013 which isn\u2019t the be-all and end-all of life \u2013 your family decides for you. There is an option which not many are aware of \u2013 you can appoint a representative to make the decision on your behalf. This means that they make the decision on your behalf when you die, and it means that the decision is made by someone you know will do what\u2019s in your best interest, rather than someone who would make the decision based on their own views.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t tell you which way to register. That\u2019s not my place. I can, however, offer you my own personal opinion. When I turned eighteen, I made the decision to \u2018opt-in\u2019 to the organ donation act. My decision was made without the influence of family or friends \u2013 it was a decision I made on my own behalf because of the beliefs I have surrounding organ donation. It wasn\u2019t either a spur-of-the-moment decision. I did my research and came to the conclusion that I\u2019d like to be an organ donor when I die.<\/p>\n
My role here isn\u2019t to tell you that you should \u2018opt-in\u2019 and it\u2019s in no way discouraging you not to \u2018opt-out\u2019. That decision is solely yours and yours alone to make. A topic of debate I\u2019ve seen presented by some is that they want to die \u2018complete\u2019, which I entirely understand. I have my own beliefs about life after death, and to an extent, the fact that I\u2019d rather be cremated than buried does influence my decision to be an organ donor post-mortem. My beliefs are my own and you are equally entitled to yours. Your decision one way or another should not be judged, because it is a decision you have made for yourself, in your best interest.<\/p>\n
My role here is <\/em>however, to tell you that if you don\u2019t make a decision, you really do need to talk to the people who will make the decision on your behalf. There are too many people who don\u2019t discuss organ \u00a0donation and many decisions are made by family members who disagree with their relatives\u2019 decision to either \u2018opt-in\u2019 or \u2018opt-out\u2019. It is crucial that we all have the discussion about organ donation.<\/p>\n I made my family sit down and have an adult conversation about my decision before I applied to \u2018opt-in\u2019. My brother has not made a decision to \u2018opt-in\u2019 or to \u2018opt-out\u2019 but by having the discussion, I\u2019m aware of his beliefs on the matter, and I, in turn, am aware of my parents\u2019 decisions on the matter. When the (hopefully very, very distant) time should come for me to have to make the decision on their behalves, I know that I will act in their best interests. I know this, because I\u2019ve had the discussion with them about it. In the same way they\u2019ve had the discussion with me.<\/p>\n Whether you want to be an organ donor or not, let your family know. Express your views in the most basic way possible. Let them know whether you would ultimately like your organs donated. You don\u2019t need to jump into the decision, you do however need to have your family know which side you\u2019d land on. If you don\u2019t talk about it, they may make a decision you disagree with because they think it\u2019s in your best interest. Tell them. Have the discussion.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s all have the chat about organ donation.<\/p>\n By Tirion Davies<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s talk organ donation. How many of you knew about the Organ Donation Act in Wales? Did you know about \u2018opting-in\u2019 or \u2018opting-out\u2019? Let\u2019s talk about it. Currently in Wales there is a scheme which came into effect in January of 2015 in an attempt to increase the number of organ donations throughout Wales. It states that you can \u2018opt-in\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[274,1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1sC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14710,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14710","url_meta":{"origin":5618,"position":0},"title":"Support for Ty \u00a0Hafan","author":"Alan Williams","date":"2nd October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WOMEN\u2019S INSTITUTE September Meeting of Wenvoe W.I. Wenvoe WI met on 5th September in the Church \u00a0Hall for what is traditionally the first meeting of the \u00a0WI new year. On this occasion, the meeting consisted of a Charity \u00a0Support evening, and our speaker was Lynn Hull \u00a0who is a delegate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Womens Institute"","block_context":{"text":"Womens Institute","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10481,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10481","url_meta":{"origin":5618,"position":1},"title":"Give Blood Today","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th October 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"x \u00a0 WELSH BLOOD SERVICE Over 2000 blood donation appointments are available this autumn at the Barry Memo Arts Centre and Copthorne Hotel. The Welsh Blood service are looking for new and existing donors to support them over the coming weeks. Approximately 350 donations of blood a day are required\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Notices"","block_context":{"text":"Event Notices","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=237"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14961,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14961","url_meta":{"origin":5618,"position":2},"title":"Organ Factory in Treorchy","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th December 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WOMEN\u2019S INSTITUTE October Meeting of Wenvoe W.I. On 31st Oct Wenvoe WI travelled to the Organ Factory in Treorchy for a day out. We had a grand time, and were thoroughly entertained by a fabulous display of organs, demonstrations, as well as sampling an excellent cream tea. The visit was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Womens Institute"","block_context":{"text":"Womens Institute","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5020,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5020","url_meta":{"origin":5618,"position":3},"title":"September Activities","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th September 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 President Madeleine welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave a big thank you for all the kind thoughts and support she received during a very sad, difficult year. Catrin, from Wales Air Ambulance gave us a very interesting talk, with slides. Wales obtained its own first air ambulance in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Womens Institute"","block_context":{"text":"Womens Institute","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5436,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5436","url_meta":{"origin":5618,"position":4},"title":"Reflections on the Past Year","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th January 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Reflecting on the past year has been incredibly hard, but also somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I can easily confirm 2018 to be the hardest year so far for me emotionally and mentally. Exams all but broke me and the wait for my results was heart-wrenching. My first term\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6982,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6982","url_meta":{"origin":5618,"position":5},"title":"December Church Activities","author":"Alan Williams","date":"31st December 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 A Blywthyn Newedd Dda - a Happy New Year to all Readers. The first Sunday in December was Advent Sunday; the beginning of four weeks of solemn preparation for the greatest event the world has known, the Birth of the Saviour in a stable at Bethlehem nearly 2000 years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "St Mary's Parish Church News"","block_context":{"text":"St Mary's Parish Church News","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/IMG_2231-300x298.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5618"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5618"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5620,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5618\/revisions\/5620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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