Legal framework governing deceased organ donation in the UK

Abstract

Laws and policies governing the use of organs for transplantation are evolving rapidly in response to sensitivity to ethical concerns and increasing shortages of transplantable organs. They are necessarily becoming increasingly detailed and complex. Professional practice will be enhanced by clear statements of current provisions, and the debates accompanying their formulation and evolution. This is necessarily a highly selective contribution, with focus on what are perceived to be the most critical items affecting contemporary deceased donation, apart from the meaning of death itself.