Brain donation
Donated brain tissue is a valuable resource for research into brain function, neurodiversity, neuropathology and possible treatments. Both divergent and healthy control brains are needed for comparison. Brain banks typically source tissue from donors that had directly registered with them before their passing, since organ donor registries focus on tissue meant for transplantation. In the United States the nonprofit Brain Donor Project facilitates this process. Legislation and global perspectives
The laws of different countries allow potential donors to permit or refuse donation, or give this choice to relatives. The frequency of donations varies among countries. Consent process
The term consent is typically defined as a subject adhering to an agreement of principles and regulations; however, the definition becomes difficult to execute concerning the topic of organ donation, mainly because the subject is incapable of consent due to death or mental impairment. There are two types of consent being reviewed; explicit consent and presumed consent. Explicit consent consists of the donor giving direct consent through proper registration depending on the country. The second consent process is presumed consent, which does not need direct consent from the donor or the next of kin. Presumed consent assumes that donation would have been permitted by the potential donor if permission was pursued. Of possible donors an estimated twenty-five percent of families refuse to donate a loved ones organs. Opt-in versus opt-out
As medical science advances, the number of people who could be helped by organ donors increases continuously.
South Korea
In South Korea, the 2006 provision of the Organ Transplant Act introduced a monetary incentive equivalent to US$4,500 to the surviving family of brain-death donors; the reward is intended as consolation and compensation for funeral expenses and hospital fees. Sri Lanka
Organ donation in Sri Lanka was ratified by the Human Tissue Transplantation Act No. 48 of 1987. Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society, a non-governmental organization established in 1961 has provided over 60,000 corneas for corneal transplantation, for patients in 57 countries. It is one of the major suppliers of human eyes to the world, with a supply of approximately 3,000 corneas per year. United Kingdom
Wales
Since December 2015, Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 passed by the Welsh Government has enabled an opt-out organ donation register, the first country in the UK to do so. The legislation is deemed consent, whereby all citizens are considered to have no objection to becoming a donor, unless they have opted out on this register. England and Scotland
Englands Organ Donation Act, also known as Max and Keiras law, came into effect in May 2020. It means adults in England will be automatically be considered potential donors unless they chose to opt out or are excluded. As of March 2021 Scotland also has an opt-out system. Dependencies
The British Crown dependency of Jersey moved to an opt-out register on July 1, 2019. United States
Over 121,000 people in need of an organ are on the U.S. government waiting list.