The Organ Donation Racket

Most people believe that organ donation is an act of selfless charity. But behind the carefully crafted public messaging lies a deeply concerning and ethically murky system. In the UK, the introduction of the opt-out system under Max and Keira’s Law has transformed consent into assumption. And the presence of Code 115 on your driving licence, without any clear way to declare a refusal , is part of a silent rollout that many citizens are unaware of. Let’s be very clear: this is not about choice. This is about control, coercion, and commerce.

1. What Does Code 115 Really Mean?

On the back of UK driving licences, Code 115 refers to ‘Organ Donor, see paper counterpart or register’. While this may suggest a choice, there is no equivalent code for refusal (such as ‘Not a Donor’). This is not a balanced system. It is designed to steer people toward donation and create a record of passive consent that can be used to pressure grieving families at the most vulnerable moment. Informed consent is replaced by default enrolment, with no transparent option to record your decision publicly [1].

2. Exporting Organs and the Commonwealth Connection

Under NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) policies, organs from UK citizens can be shared internationally, not only with the EU or Ireland, but occasionally with the wider Commonwealth [2]. If your organs are removed under presumed consent, there is no guarantee they stay in the UK. And with the rising value of transplant organs and tissues, it is no surprise that donation rates have skyrocketed under the opt-out system, often without families being properly informed of their right to say no [3].

3. Do You Even Have to Be Brain Dead?

One of the greatest deceptions is the idea that donors are always ‘dead’. In many cases, organs are taken under DCD (Donation after Circulatory Death) protocols, where a person’s heart stops, but their brain may still show electrical activity. Sedatives may be used, and death is declared within minutes to preserve organ viability [4]. In other words: there is serious ethical concern that these patients may not be truly or irreversibly dead at the time their organs are removed.

4. Families Are Being Coerced, Not Consulted

NHSBT staff are trained to use emotionally charged language when approaching families: ‘Wouldn’t you want your loved one to live on?’, ‘They could save nine lives today.’ In the midst of grief, confusion, and medical jargon, families are guilted into accepting donation even when they are unsure what their loved one would have wanted. According to NHS documents, staff are told that families should be approached within an hour of death or while ‘brain death testing’ is still underway [5].

5. If This Is About Choice, Where Is the Option to Say No?

Why is there no ‘Do Not Donate’ code printed on UK driving licences? Why must you register your refusal on a website instead of simply carrying a card or opting out visibly? The answer is simple: they do not want you to say no. A healthy body is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in harvested tissue and organs [6]. You are more valuable to the transplant industry dead and consenting by default, than you are alive and resisting.

Conclusion

This Is Not About Altruism

We are told it is noble to be an organ donor. But when donation becomes assumed, when families are pressured, and when the dead are seen as inventory for international exchange, we must speak out. Your body belongs to you. And no government has the right to silently convert the population into a pool of spare parts.

Demand transparency. Demand consent. Demand your choice back.

Or opt out and wear a dog tag stating it!

References

1. 1. DVLA Codes Guide. UK Government. 2024.

2. 2. NHS Blood and Transplant. Organ Sharing Agreements and Export Protocols. NHSBT, 2023.

3. 3. UK Transplant Statistics 2020–2024. NHSBT Reports.

4. 4. Intensive Care Society. Guidelines on Donation After Circulatory Death. 2022.

5. 5. NHSBT Family Approach Training Manual. Internal Document, 2021.

6. 6. Global Bioethics. ‘The Economics of Human Organs’, 2022.

Article posted with permission from Kate Shemirani

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