PA2: The Pacific Organ Donation Act of 2015 [passed, signed]

[Türkisblau]

The Pacific Organ Donation Act of 2015

1. All citizens of the Pacific Region are hereby automatically designated organ donors.

2. A special designation will be given on the respective driver's license in order to opt out.
    
    a. The symbol used will be a red heart with a black "x" overlapping the heart.

    b. Opting out may be done in person or by mail at any Pacific DMV.

3. This legislation will go into effect on June 1, 2015.

[Cranberry]

Mr. Speaker,
I believe I am allowed to participate in Council "debates"?

I will go ahead anyway. Why do you believe this act to be a sensible measure? You just introduced it but gave no further explanation. What would your response be to people that would say that this could be a massive infringement of the personal liberty of every Pacifician, yet even unconstitutional in violating both the constitutions of the Republic of Atlasia (Article VI, Section 17 could be relevant here) and the Pacific Region (Art. VI, Sec. 11 could prove points to argue with)?

[Türkisblau]

Mr. Speaker,
I believe I am allowed to participate in Council "debates"?

I will go ahead anyway. Why do you believe this act to be a sensible measure? You just introduced it but gave no further explanation. What would your response be to people that would say that this could be a massive infringement of the personal liberty of every Pacifician, yet even unconstitutional in violating both the constitutions of the Republic of Atlasia (Article VI, Section 17 could be relevant here) and the Pacific Region (Art. VI, Sec. 11 could prove points to argue with)?

I support this legislation because every day we see lives lost due to a lack of organs being donated. It is a sensible measure to make our citizens default donors, as if they are morally opposed to the act of donating then they can opt out of being one. This is a measure any one person opposed to the action can take.

Further, it is completely out of the question to myself whether this would be unconstitutional, as the sections you cite of the Atlasian and Pacifican Constitutions respectively state:

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Since organ donation takes place after the death of the person, the right to defend one's self does not apply and it clearly says that the right to privacy is not unlimited. In respect to organ donation, I see limiting that aspect of privacy as in the best interest of the welfare of our region and for our citizens' lives.

[Cranberry]

Still, points could be made that a person's personal liberty is infringed by the process of making them default organ donors while still alive. It violates people's right to choose between being an organ donor or not, in a way, since one is made one by default, infringing a person's personal liberty in the process.

Also, one could make a case regarding religious liberty / freedom of conscience.

[Türkisblau]

I, myself, believe that people are good at heart and  would like our regional government to recognize that.

We have people die everyday just because someone doesn't bother to check a box. I believe that is abhorrent and that it should be the other way around.

[Cranberry]

Fair enough, I believe you have presented your views sufficiently, and I will leave this discussion now to you and your fellow Council members.

Thank you.

[Simfan34]

The symbol seems a bit much, but I would support this measure otherwise.

[Türkisblau]

Seeing as debate seems to have ended, we will be going into voting procedure on this legislation in 12 hours of this post.

[Türkisblau]

Voting begins immediately on this legislation and will end in 48 hours.

[Türkisblau]

Aye

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Aye

[Türkisblau]

This bill has passed with 2 ayes and 1 not voting.