Organ Donation Consent Reform of 2020 - Saxenheim

Rationale

This change respects individual autonomy by ending presumed consent, ensuring only willing donors are registered and citizens have greater control over how their bodies are used.

Proposed Changes

	Law	Previous		Proposed
1	Organ Donation	Presumed consent, opt-out register		Explicit opt-in register

1

Organ Donation

Previous law

Presumed consent, opt-out register

Explicit opt-in register

Proposer

Party

Competence And Freedom

Competence and Freedom (C&F) is a centrist, technocratic party. We advocate for competent government, individual rights, a free market with sensible guardrails, accessible, high-quality education, and principled opposition to extremism and populism on both the far-right and the far-left.

Core pillars

AM

Anton Mayer

Activist · Age 29

25,059 social followers

A self-taught economist and viral activist, Anton Mayer burst onto the scene with fiery speeches and a no-nonsense critique of the status quo, channeling his outsider status into a loyal following for a party promising radical but grounded reform.

🔬 Analytical ✨ Charismatic 🤝 Loyal 🌍 Outsider 🔥 Firebrand

Timeline

Draft

8 March 2020
Vote Open

8 March 2020
Vote Closed

7 May 2020
Became Law

7 May 2020

Vote tally

Live tally across each chamber. Weighted by seats held.

Bundesrat

Passed

12Yes 10No 36Abstained 11Not voted 69 seats

For: 12 / 69 seats (17.4%)

Against: 10 · Abstained: 36 · Not voted: 11

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 54.5%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Alliance For Digital Freedom And Rights	31	Abstain	This is a very hard choice for us. On one hand, the principle of self-determination should be always respected, especially for what concerns one's body. On the other hand, organ donations contributes to save lives: the proposed reform might end up causing a severe organ shortage as many won't know about, or bother, explicitly registering. Furthermore, the dead ill need their organs, especially from a non-religious point of view. For this reason, ADFR will abstain: we'd rather have a different balance, such as a mandatory choice when renewing one's ID card.
Competence And Freedom Proposer	12	Yes	No reason given
Left Forward	5	Abstain	No reason given
Saxenheim Workers’ Union	10	No	A strong healthcare system depends on ensuring that life-saving resources are available to those who need them. Presumed consent allows more citizens to benefit from organ donation while still giving individuals the ability to opt out. Replacing it with an opt-in system could reduce donor numbers and weaken the nation’s ability to save lives.
Empty seats	5	Not voted

Bundestag

Passed

117Yes 90No 336Abstained 107Not voted 650 seats

For: 117 / 650 seats (18.0%)

Against: 90 · Abstained: 336 · Not voted: 107

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 56.5%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Alliance For Digital Freedom And Rights	286	Abstain	This is a very hard choice for us. On one hand, the principle of self-determination should be always respected, especially for what concerns one's body. On the other hand, organ donations contributes to save lives: the proposed reform might end up causing a severe organ shortage as many won't know about, or bother, explicitly registering. Furthermore, the dead ill need their organs, especially from a non-religious point of view. For this reason, ADFR will abstain: we'd rather have a different balance, such as a mandatory choice when renewing one's ID card.
Competence And Freedom Proposer	117	Yes	No reason given
Left Forward	50	Abstain	No reason given
Saxenheim Workers’ Union	90	No	A strong healthcare system depends on ensuring that life-saving resources are available to those who need them. Presumed consent allows more citizens to benefit from organ donation while still giving individuals the ability to opt out. Replacing it with an opt-in system could reduce donor numbers and weaken the nation’s ability to save lives.
Empty seats	52	Not voted

Voting record

Every vote must state a public reason. Most recent first.

Alliance For Digital Freedom And Rights

Voted March 19, 2020

Abstain

“This is a very hard choice for us. On one hand, the principle of self-determination should be always respected, especially for what concerns one's body. On the other hand, organ donations contributes to save lives: the proposed reform might end up causing a severe organ shortage as many won't know about, or bother, explicitly registering. Furthermore, the dead ill need their organs, especially from a non-religious point of view. For this reason, ADFR will abstain: we'd rather have a different balance, such as a mandatory choice when renewing one's ID card.”

Saxenheim Workers’ Union

Voted March 9, 2020

No

“A strong healthcare system depends on ensuring that life-saving resources are available to those who need them. Presumed consent allows more citizens to benefit from organ donation while still giving individuals the ability to opt out. Replacing it with an opt-in system could reduce donor numbers and weaken the nation’s ability to save lives.”

Left Forward

Voted March 8, 2020

Abstain