Researchers at Western University believe it is time to let organ recipients and families of deceased donors meet.
Current legislation in Ontario prevents the family of deceased donors from knowing the identity of the people who received their loved one’s organs. It is a policy that Western bioethicist Charles Weijer and post-doctoral fellow Nicholas Murphy feel is restrictive, outdated, and unfair.
“A growing number of jurisdictions both in Canada and internationally are realizing that restrictive approaches to donor family and recipient contact are outdated and unfairly limit the autonomy of mutually consenting stakeholders,” said Weijer, a leading expert on the ethics of randomized controlled trials. “It is time for all Canadian provinces and territories to address this new reality.”
Weijer and Murphy made their argument for a policy change in a new commentary published in the journal Canadian Journal of Cardiology. The pair point to findings that allowing consenting deceased donors’ families and organ recipients to have direct contact aids in the healing process. Weijer and Murphy used the story of Kim LeBlanc and Dave Allingham as an example.
In 2012, LeBlanc’s 15-year-old son Tyler was hit and killed by a transport truck. His heart was donated to Allingham. Despite the legislated anonymity of the donation, LeBlanc and Allingham found each other.
“Kim and Dave’s story underlines how getting to know the people on the other side of the donation process can promote healing, help stakeholders to find closure, and honour the legacy of the deceased donor’s gift of life,” said Murphy. “Mandated anonymity unduly restricts the autonomy of stakeholders who ought to have the option of meeting when it is mutually desired.”
So touched by LeBlanc and Allingham, Weijer and Murphy invited them to join them as authors of the article.
“Losing a loved one, especially a child, is a loss beyond words and that grief can be debilitating. Knowing my son’s heart recipient has helped me channel my grief in a healthy way and allowed me to live again,” said LeBlanc. “Having the option for a guided meeting of the donors and recipients will allow donor families to actually see the difference their loved one has made and allow for recipients to share how that gift has changed their lives. The results will be tangible.”
The researchers are recommending that provincial organ donation organizations convene a working group to draft an appropriate framework for facilitating direct contact between donor families and recipients.
“A balanced approach to donor family and recipient contact will help to protect anonymity for those who want it and responsibly facilitate contact for those who do not,” said Weijer.
British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia are the only provinces in Canada that currently have mechanisms in place for mediating direct contact.
