A new bill was just passed in Alberta that will hopefully bring about more life-saving organ donations in the province.
Bill 205, the Organ and Tissue (Mandatory Referral) Amendment Act is a private member's bill from Highwood MLA RJ Sigurdson.
It's aimed at changing parts of Alberta's organ and tissue donation process to cut down on missed opportunities, and to start conversations around signing up to be a donor.
One of the major cornerstones of the bill is the establishment of a mandatory referral system, wherein physicians will have to pass on donor information to organ donation organizations when death is determined to be imminent.
Albertans will still have to opt into organ donations, so Sigurdson also emphasized education in the bill in order to get families talking and prepared for how to proceed if the chance to donate organs arises.
He spoke to several people and families whose lives were changed by organ donations, including Toby Boulet, whose son Logan was one of the 16 people killed in the Humboldt Broncos crash of 2018. Logan had registered as a donor and did end up donating, and inspired the Green Shirt Day movement as a result.
Tue, Apr 23, 8:00 PM
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