BBC: Sikh girl wins bangle law battle
As I noted when this story first came to the fore this is pathetic. I would now advise all children in schools with a no-jewellery restriction similar to Aberdare's Girls School to wear whatever the hell they want to School now. If anyone challenges you, just say that your religious faith demands that you wear them between the hours of 9am and 3.30pm every weekday. Call your faith whatever you want, I hear that the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Invisible Pink Unicorn are popular these days but you can make your own up. If the school claims that you're just making it up take them to the High Court where I'm sure Mr Justice Silber will agree that it is not the School's place to determine what is a real religion and what is not!
BBC: AMs reject organ 'consent' scheme
This is another story that grabbed my attention recently. Unfortunately the Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee has voted against recommending a system of presumed consent by 6 votes to 3. Wimps.
Congratulations to Plaid Cymru AM's Helen Mary Jones and Dr Dai Lloyd and Lib Dem AM Jenny Randerson for voting for presumed consent. Tories Jonathan Morgan and Nick Ramsay should be ashamed of themselves, along with Labour AM's Lorraine Barrett, Irene James, Ann Jones and Val Lloyd.
I'm glad to say though that after writing my earlier post on this topic, I registered as an Organ donor straight away!
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Thursday, 3 July 2008
I'm Lazy, You Die
I am not an organ donor. I don't carry an organ donor card. Why? Have i got a religious objection to my body being harvested after death? Nope. Am I sickened by the idea of being buried without some parts of me? Nope. Am I afraid that my family's trauma would be intensified by seeing parts of me put into others? Nope. In truth, the reason that I haven't got an organ donor card is that I am lazy. I have never bothered to fill in the forms or call the number or whatever it is you do to get a card.
That's pathetic I know, but I'm pretty sure that I'm far from being the only person who's laziness has prevented them sorting out organ donation. When I realise that one Welsh person dies every fortnight because they couldn't find an organ to transplant it shames me. But not enough to take 5minutes to get it sorted.
That's why I hope the Welsh Government bite the bullet and bring in the "opt-out" system that they've been talking about for ages. Such a system would mean that we are all potential organ donors, unless we make a point of opting out. So the lazy among us would automatically become life-savers instead of organ-wasters. It's a controversial move, and I can understand the argument of the critics that such an important thing should be decided by every person and not thrust on us.
That argument doesn't hold water though. There's three kind of people when it comes to organ donating. Those who have made a point of getting a card, those who have made a point of not getting a card, and the rest of us who want to make a point but can't get off our fat arses long enough to do so (e.g. me). Under an opt out system those who really want to give will still give, those who object will opt out and the rest of us who don't see it as a massive question of morals will become givers, possibly saving 150 additional people each year.
It seems that public opinion is staring to align with the government's plans. A recent poll had 48% of Welsh people supporting an opt out system.
While the 48% is what makes the headline, the poll has another figure which is a much stronger argument in favour of a new system. Only 11% of respondents did not want their organs removed after death. 72% wanted to donate, while 12% wanted their family to decide. 72% of the Welsh population is 2.16m people. The amount of registered donors in Wales is currently at 780,000. That's 1.38m lazy people who, like me, could be depriving others of life.
Sod this, I'm getting a card right now.
That's pathetic I know, but I'm pretty sure that I'm far from being the only person who's laziness has prevented them sorting out organ donation. When I realise that one Welsh person dies every fortnight because they couldn't find an organ to transplant it shames me. But not enough to take 5minutes to get it sorted.
That's why I hope the Welsh Government bite the bullet and bring in the "opt-out" system that they've been talking about for ages. Such a system would mean that we are all potential organ donors, unless we make a point of opting out. So the lazy among us would automatically become life-savers instead of organ-wasters. It's a controversial move, and I can understand the argument of the critics that such an important thing should be decided by every person and not thrust on us.
That argument doesn't hold water though. There's three kind of people when it comes to organ donating. Those who have made a point of getting a card, those who have made a point of not getting a card, and the rest of us who want to make a point but can't get off our fat arses long enough to do so (e.g. me). Under an opt out system those who really want to give will still give, those who object will opt out and the rest of us who don't see it as a massive question of morals will become givers, possibly saving 150 additional people each year.
It seems that public opinion is staring to align with the government's plans. A recent poll had 48% of Welsh people supporting an opt out system.
While the 48% is what makes the headline, the poll has another figure which is a much stronger argument in favour of a new system. Only 11% of respondents did not want their organs removed after death. 72% wanted to donate, while 12% wanted their family to decide. 72% of the Welsh population is 2.16m people. The amount of registered donors in Wales is currently at 780,000. That's 1.38m lazy people who, like me, could be depriving others of life.
Sod this, I'm getting a card right now.
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