Justina Law: family opposition to organ donation reduced to 10%

Law 27,447, passed unanimously on July 4, 2018, better known as the “Justina Law,” abolished the family certification requirement that the deceased person had not expressed a “last will” in which they opposed the donation. Now five years after its promulgation, the president of the National Central Institute for the Coordination of Ablation and Implantation (INCUCAI), Carlos Soratti announced that it was possible to reduce the rate of interruptions of donation processes due to family opposition that previously stood at around 40% nationwide today is at 10%. As a balance, Soratti highlighted in an interview with Télam the main achievements of the law, which allowed a comprehensive reform and analyzed the challenges to reduce waiting times in transplant processes. Abolishing the requirement of family certification in Argentina increased the number of donors significantly and reduced those interruptions due to family opposition, as it was called then, “said the doctor with specialization in Intensive Therapy.In this sense, Soratti explained that before the law was passed, “the causes of interruption of donation processes that were attributed to the opposition of the family were between 30 and 40% as national average”.“Today they are almost less than 10%. There was a very important decrease. That was one of the most immediate and notable impacts of that change in the law.”The official remarked. Among the main changes, the law makes presumed consent effective, which implies that all people over 18 years of age are considered donors, except those who expressly state otherwise. Likewise, the affirmative or negative will towards the donation can be expressed through the Mi Argentina app, signing an act of expression in the Incucai or in the provincial ablation and implant agencies; requesting that it be recorded in the DNI; or by sending a free telegram through the Argentine Post Office.

Original source in Spanish