THE issue of organ donation has sparked a lengthy debate in the Shoura Council last week. Some members called for adding a new article to the traffic system, so that the driver's license should indicate a person's desire to donate organs in the event of his death in an accident. The proposal led to heated discussions among the members of the council. President of the Security Committee Maj. General Abdullah Al-Sadoun read out the committee's response, which was against the suggestion. Dr. Fahad Al-Anzi said he opposed the suggestion to include the consent for donation in the driving license but supported the recommendation of the committee in view of the fact that organ donation is a humanitarian act. Al-Anzi argued that the proposal restricts organ donation to drivers or those who have a driver's license even though a vehicle may have other people in it when an accident occurs. In addition, women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to have driver's licenses and thus the proposal preempts their role in this important humanitarian work. Al-Anzi demanded that there should be a legal document that clearly indicates a person's desire to donate or not to donate organs in the event of his or her death in an accident. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Suwailem, one of the proponents of the proposal, said there are at least 18,000 cases of kidney failure in the Kingdom. "We need 2,600 kidney transplants annually," he said. He was supported by Dr. Mohammed Al-Knezi, who explained that the issue touches every Saudi citizen, especially because the highest proportion of deaths in the country is caused by road accidents. Dr. Lubna Al-Ansari also supported this point, noting that such an order should include national identity documents, not driving licenses alone, to indicate the desire of a person to donate or not to donate organs. The question of organ donation must be addressed undoubtedly to both men and women alike and keeping it exclusively for drivers carrying a license is a grave mistake. It is better to mention a citizen's consent to donate on his or her national ID itself so that those who want to donate their organs, whether men or women, will have the privilege to participate in this humanitarian work.
