Kedgley Sue: Human Tissue Bill — First Reading 
Kedgley Sue: Human Tissue Bill — First Reading 
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SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 I suspect that this legislation will be one of those coming before the House that will have widespread cross-party support—at least for consideration of the bill. The Green Party is absolutely delighted to be supporting this bill. We have wanted New Zealand and our Parliament to look at this issue for many years. As the previous speaker said we have had some petitions before previous Health Committees and we really believe that it is long long overdue for us once and for all to resolve this issue and hopefully to improve significantly the organ donation rates in New Zealand. 
It is really just as well that we do have this bill before Parliament and that we are looking at ways to improve our organ donation rates significantly because all of the experts are telling us that the number of people needing donated organs inevitably will explode in coming decades. As obesity and the incidence of diabetes increases the number of people needing renal dialysis and eventually kidney donations is likely to explode as it is of course for those with hepatitis B and C. I saw a programme the other day that said an estimated 40000 New Zealanders had hepatitis C and the number is growing. The number of people needing organ donations is likely to explode. 
In the United States the number of people waiting for kidney organs has more than doubled over the past decade. The average person there is waiting more than 3 years for an organ and now the authorities are debating whether to set up a rationing system. I was reading an article just a couple of days ago that stated that the young would be given priority which no one would object to but older patients over the age of 70 or 79 would no longer be accepted for organ donation. Those age levels are currently being debated. So that is the reality that is happening around the world. There is an extreme demand for organs such that rationing is being examined and imposed around the world. 
The Greens are extremely keen to try to encourage the availability of greater numbers of people to be donors in New Zealand. We would also like to see the focus being on the human donation of organs rather than on what some people are looking at xenotransplantation—namely growing organs in genetically engineered pigs and then transplanting those organs into humans. We feel there are significant—indeed extreme—risks with transplanting organs from animals into humans. Therefore we think that the way to avoid this is to increase significantly the rate of human donors available. 
The statistics speak for themselves. It was extraordinary that last year in New Zealand only 29 people became donors after they died which was the lowest number in more than a decade and despite the fact that more than a million people have said yes to organ donation on their driver’s licence. We all know that that the organ donation statement on a driver’s licence is essentially meaningless; it does not provide informed consent. People sign their driver’s licence but in fact I do not think that information is even collected on a register. Certainly it is not provided to people. No computer database of information is provided to families when they are considering whether to donate an organ from a deceased person. So we do need to update the driver’s licence system in relation to organ donation. This bill proposes to do that and we welcome that. 
Another statistic that is extraordinary is that there were 104 possible donors last year—I think only 34 were donors—but 35 families were not even asked whether they would consider allowing the donation of an organ from their deceased family member. We have wrestled with this issue for many years and it is quite clear that the present system is not working. There is no reason why New Zealand should have such a low level of organ donors when more than a million people have indicated they are very happy to be donors. We urgently need a better system. 
One of the interesting things about overseas research is that 95 percent of families—that is what the research finds—agree to organs being donated from a dead relative if that person had stated a wish to be a donor. The problem is that many of the families are not aware whether the person wished to be a donor and that is the issue we hope to address when we look at this legislation in the Health Committee. This legislation will be alongside Jackie Blue’s bill which Green members are very pleased to support. 
The Green Party comes to this issue with an open mind. We are happy that we will be considering this Human Tissue Bill alongside Jackie Blue’s bill. We will be listening very carefully to the submissions and we will support what we believe is the best system. We know that many people like Andy Tookey strongly favour the requirement that if someone has indicated that he or she wishes to be a donor that overrides the wishes of the family. On the other hand we know that doctors who are confronted with this situation believe that this is unworkable and unenforceable. But it is possibly the case that this Human Tissue Bill will do what it says it hopes to do which is to strike a balance between the rights of the grieving family and the organ donor’s informed consent. The Green party is very pleased the bill is finally before the Health Committee at long last and that we have the opportunity to resolve this issue. 
As previous speakers have said there are very important cultural considerations around this issue and they need to be respected. I think the Human Tissue Bill does acknowledge the absolute requirement to take into account cultural and indeed spiritual sensitivities around organ donation. So these are important issues that we will need to consider as well. 
Green Party members do have real anxieties about some aspects of the bill—the trade in organs and the research into organ donation without consent which I think the bill allows in some cases. We have extreme concerns about that and will be opposing those sections of the bill. We are also very concerned about the importing and exporting of tissue. So we do have very significant anxieties about those sections of the bill. But we come to this legislation with an open mind and with great delight that this Parliament is dealing finally with what is a huge and important issue. As all experts are telling us there will be a huge explosion of people requiring in particular donated kidneys and livers but also cornea lungs and other organs for transplantation. We are pleased that Parliament is finally addressing this important health issue.