Automatic Organ Donor Registration for Newborns

July 2026 European Committee

Although many people have a positive attitude toward organ donation and all major world religions permit it, far fewer actually register as donors. According to a study by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, 8 out of 10 Swedes express support for organ donation, yet only 2 out of 10 are registered as donors. On January 1, 2021, 884 people were waiting for an organ transplant in Sweden, and 33 people died that same year while waiting. For the fourth consecutive year, the number of people on the waiting list increased. Ensuring that those in need of transplants survive requires a consistently high willingness to donate, which cannot be taken for granted. The situation is likewise in many countries of the world where the rich often can pay to bypass the waiting list by paying for illegally harvested organs.
In the current organ donation system, a passive stance is disadvantageous; to donate organs, one must actively register. In a societal norm, everyone has the opportunity to opt out of donation. When the figures show that a large portion of the world population is positively inclined toward organ donation, it is reasonable for the norm to allow people to actively choose not to participate, rather than requiring active registration.
Not everyone wants to donate their organs, and this must of course be respected. It is therefore important to continue spreading clear information about how the system works, to avoid misinformation and strong reactions, such as: “Here comes the state to steal your kidney.” At the same time, it is crucial to approach the issue from a societal perspective, focusing on solutions that benefit the most people. In this case, saving lives may take precedence over the concern that someone might die with fully functional organs still intact.
Organ donation saves lives. This is a fact. Many people live their lives in need of functioning organs, hoping that someone has registered as a donor and passed away without damage to their organs. Unfortunately, this is rare, as few are on the lists. By implementing a societal norm for organ donation, the availability of organs can be diversified, and more lives can be saved.
Based on the above we propose,
That IUSY shall advocate for all newborns to be automatically registered in the organ donation system with the ability to opt out