In response to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics consultation on organ donation, Mark Littlewood, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“Hundreds of people are dying each year in the UK while waiting for transplants. The current transplant system which relies solely on people’s goodwill is never going to provide a sufficient supply of organs.”

“People have the right to do with their bodies as they wish; this is something the system should recognise. If people want to sell their organs to help someone else they should be allowed to do so. Similarly, if someone wants to pay to save their, or someone else’s life, or to improve the quality of it, that should be permitted.”

“The state has a dubious record in this area, as the mix up over consents a few weeks ago shows. The most effective way of meeting the need for organ donations is to give greater responsibility to people to make their own decisions and to reduce the need for the state to be the key provider in this area.”