The gross imbalance between those on the organ donation waiting list and those willing to donate in Australia should be a source of national shame.

And we can’t plead ignorance.

Ever since Manilla girl Fiona Coote became Australia’s youngest heart transplant recipient – and a household name – in 1984, the issue of organ donation has been writ large in the public consciousness.

Yet donation rates, while improved since the implementation of a national reform program in 2008, remain among the lowest in the western world.

The reasons? 

Apathy and pride.

Apathy because in the age of rampant greed, Australians are conditioned to put themselves before the greater good.

Pride because of the age-old desire to be buried whole.

Considering the critical importance of lifting donation rates – recipients routinely die before they get to the top of the waiting list – why are lawmakers not legislating to help?

Currently, prospective donors can be blocked even if they have explicitly consented to donate on their driver’s licence.

This gives relatives the final say on whether their deceased loved one should have their organs harvested, a difficult decision to make in the depths of grief.

This is where “presumed consent” seems like the answer.

An opt-out organ donation system to overcome shortages, it has become standard practice in Spain, France, Belgium and Sweden. 

It would allow potential donors to make a definitive decision while they still can.

And most importantly, it would save lives.

Tamworth mum Leonnee Pinchen-Martin is living proof of the value of organ donation.

A popular bumper sticker for organ recipients reads: “Don’t take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here”.

Heaven knows we need more people like Leonnee Pinchen-Martin.

Support her cause by talking to your family about organ donation today.