To the Editor: Australia's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws are rapidly coming into effect, and Bollen and colleagues discuss VAD practice, organ and tissue donation, and the law.1 The authors recommend that national guidelines be developed containing four essential elements, including a requirement for “consent of the closest relative”.
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- 1. Bollen J, Hempton C, Bhatia N, Tibballs J. Feasibility of organ donation following voluntary assisted dying in Australia: lessons from international practice. Med J Aust 2023; 219: 202‐205. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2023/219/5/feasibility‐organ‐donation‐following‐voluntary‐assisted‐dying‐australia‐lessons
- 2. Organ and Tissue Authority. Best practice guideline for donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) in Australia. Edition 1.0 October 2021. https://www.donatelife.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022‐01/ota_bestpracticeguidelinedcdd_02.pdf (viewed Aug 2023).
- 3. Hardcastle R. Law and the human body: property rights, ownership and control. Oxford, UK: Hart Publishing, 2007.
- 4. Quigley M. Self‐ownership, property rights, and the human body: a legal and philosophical analysis. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
- 5. Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society. The statement on death and organ donation. Edition 4.1 2021. Melbourne: ANZICS, 2021. https://www.anzics.com.au/wp‐content/uploads/2022/04/ANZICS‐Statement‐on‐Death‐and‐Organ‐Donation.pdf (viewed Aug 2023).
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