A total of 10.6 million Dutch people are registered in the Donor Register, that is considerably more than last year when less than 7 million people had registered.
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New donor law
From new donor law arranges from July 2020 that all residents of 18 years or older are included in the Donor Register. They may or may not consent to donation.
Organ donors can indicate that they do not want to donate certain organs or tissues. The register will state that people “have no objection to organ donation” if they do not indicate a choice.
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About 3.3 million Dutch people – mainly young people – have not yet passed on their choice. Since the new legislation, they are therefore automatically registered as organ donors.
Explicit consent
The group that explicitly does not consent to donation has grown from 2.3 million people at the beginning of last year to 4.3 million in July 2021. Compared to last year, one million more people gave explicit consent for organ donation. 14 percent wanted to leave the choice to a relative or a designated person.
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In the age group of 20 to 70 years, a majority of people do give consent for donation. The reverse is true for the over-80s.
Women more often recorded their choice in the Donor Register and also relatively more consent to organ donation compared to men.
Regional differences
The percentage of people who give permission for organ donation is the lowest in Urk at 15 percent. The percentage of donors is also relatively low in many other municipalities in the so-called Bible Belt, where many orthodox Protestants live.
In East Gelre and Rozendaal, the percentage that gives permission for donation is highest.
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