Organ donation in Germany: getting out of a tense situation

When the first German Transplantationsgesetz (Transplant Act) entered into force in 1997, post-mortem organ donation had reached an all-time low at 12.5 donors per million inhabitants. The Act was intended to create safety in core medical ethics issues and improve trust in transplant medicine – the beginning of a new era. The number of postmortem organ donors increased only slowly, and compared to other European countries remained in the lower average band with a maximum of 16 donors per million inhabitants. More major legal amendments then came into force for the first time in 2012, namely the decision-based solution, whereby citizens receive regular information on organ transplantation and are asked to give their opinion on organ donation. The aim is to encourage willingness to donate organs (1). Another important change: the across-theboard introduction of transplant representatives in clinics with post-mortem donors.