The Impact of Presumed Consent Legislation on Cadaveric Organ Donation: A Cross Country Study

41 Pages Posted: 9 Jul 2004 Last revised: 24 Dec 2022

See all articles by Alberto Abadie

Alberto Abadie

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Sebastien Gay

The University of Chicago

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: July 2004

Abstract

In the U.S., Great Britain, and in many other countries, the gap between the demand and the supply of human organs for transplantation is on the rise, despite the efforts of governments and health agencies to promote donor registration. In some countries of continental Europe, however, cadaveric organ procurement is based on the principle of presumed consent. Under presumed consent legislation, a deceased individual is classified as a potential donor in absence of explicit opposition to donation before death. This article analyzes the impact of presumed consent laws on donation rates. For this purpose, we construct a dataset on organ donation rates and potential factors affecting organ donation for 22 countries over a 10-year period. We find that while differences in other determinants of organ donation explain much of the variation in donation rates, after controlling for those determinants presumed consent legislation has a positive and sizeable effect on organ donation rates.

Suggested Citation

Abadie, Alberto and Gay, Sebastien, The Impact of Presumed Consent Legislation on Cadaveric Organ Donation: A Cross Country Study (July 2004). NBER Working Paper No. w10604, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=563048

Alberto Abadie (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

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Sebastien Gay

The University of Chicago ( email )

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