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This relatively new source of organs and tissues is significant in that Ontario’s waiting list for organs typically hovers around 1,600 without any great headway made to eliminate that number. While 90 per cent of Canadians reportedly support organ donation, only 34 per cent of Ontarians have registered online, and the growth rate in registered donors has declined for three consecutive years.

Canada decriminalized medically assisted death in 2016, and Ontario, through Trillium, immediately moved to the forefront of organ and tissue donation through MAiD, becoming the first jurisdiction in the world to proactively reach out to those who had been approved for assisted death to discuss donation. When a death is imminent, whether through a hospital or MAiD, Trillium must by law be notified.

“And, as part of high-quality end-of life care, we make sure that all patients and families are provided with the information they need and the opportunity to make a decision on whether they wish to make a donation,” Gavsie says. “That just follows the logical protocol under the law and the humane approach for those who are undergoing medical assistance in dying. And it’s the right thing to do for those on the wait list.”

Regulations in some other jurisdictions where euthanasia or assisted suicide is permitted, such as Belgium and Netherlands, only allow organ donation at the patient’s initiation. In Switzerland and the U.S. states Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana, where assisted suicide is legal, subsequent organ donation is not possible. Quebec, which initially allowed only patient-initiated donation, now allows Transplant Québec to initiate donation discussions with patients who have been accepted for MAiD.