Organ Donation Systems

Q1. Under an ‘opt-out’ organ donation system, a person is presumed willing to donate unless:

1. Their family objects at the time of death
2. They have explicitly registered their objection during their lifetime
3. Their doctor certifies them as an unsuitable donor on medical grounds
4. They have not registered on the organ donor registry

Q2. The supporter’s argument for opt-out systems is that:

1. Presumed consent is ethically superior to voluntary consent in matters of life and death
2. Most people are willing to donate but fail to register under opt-in systems due to inertia, so opt-out better captures their actual preferences
3. The government has a responsibility to maximise the number of organs available for transplantation regardless of individual preferences
4. Opt-out systems are cheaper to administer than opt-in systems

Q3. The ethical objection to opt-out systems raised in the passage is:

1. That opt-out systems reduce the quality of medical care for dying patients by creating financial incentives for early death certification
2. That presumed consent violates bodily autonomy — the principle that individuals should control what happens to their bodies
3. That opt-out systems disadvantage religious communities whose beliefs prohibit organ donation
4. That the state has no right to assume individuals’ medical preferences without explicit consent

Q4. Brain death is legally recognised as death in India under which Act?

1. The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956
2. The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994
3. The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897
4. The Clinical Establishments Act, 2010

Q5. Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that opt-out systems cause higher organ donation rates?

1. Spain adopted opt-out in 1979 and has maintained high donation rates since
2. A study showing that countries with high donation rates that also have opt-out systems also have highly developed transplant infrastructure and family consent practices that are the actual drivers of higher rates
3. Wales adopted opt-out in 2015 and saw a small increase in donation rates
4. Austria, an opt-out country, has higher donation rates than Germany, an opt-in country

Q6. The passage describes Spain as having adopted opt-out in 1979. What conclusion does the passage draw from Spain’s experience?

1. That opt-out systems invariably lead to higher donation rates regardless of other factors
2. That Spain has consistently been among the world’s leading nations for organ donation rates
3. That Spain’s experience proves opt-out systems are ethically superior to opt-in systems
4. That other countries should adopt Spain’s specific regulatory model