In the struggle for more life-saving organ donations, a new attempt is being made to make far-reaching changes to the legal rules. A cross-party group of MPs submitted a draft for the introduction of an objection regulation to the Bundestag. For adults it would mean: Everyone is automatically considered an organ donor after death - unless you object. So far, an express yes has been required for withdrawals. Another group strictly rejects this and put forward a counterproposal.
For the supporters of the objection regulation, it is already the third attempt - after a first initiative failed in the Bundestag in 2020 and a second one was no longer put to a vote due to the early election in 2025.
What the proponents want
The SPD MP Sabine Dittmar pointed out that there are thousands of people on waiting lists and emphasized: “Organ donation is and remains voluntary.” But the initial situation should be changed. Anyone who doesn't want to donate should become active in the future.
The Green MP Michael Kellner described the story of a friend who received a liver in 2009 and was able to live for 17 years. She died this year. “A second donor liver could have saved her. But we won’t have enough organs even in 2026.” At the same time, he emphasized: “Nobody has to be a donor. Human dignity and self-determination remain unaffected because you can always say no.”
The group with representatives from the CDU, CSU, SPD, Left and Greens argues that many improvements in recent years have not led to a significant increase in donation numbers. A donation should therefore become the “norm”. In the future, organ removal from people who are of legal age and capable of consent should be permitted even if they have “not objected”. Increased information is planned.
There is also a Bundesrat bill in the Bundestag that aims to introduce an objection regulation. North Rhine-Westphalia's Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) said: "The problem is simple, we have far too few organs." Despite new approaches to education and documentation, the situation has not really improved. An adult could be expected to document how they feel about the donation.
What another group wants
A second group of MPs also wants to see more organ donations - but through more information and calls to make decisions. She is strictly against the objection regulation. “Silence should not be viewed as consent,” is a core argument. With an application, the group aims, among other things, to ask all citizens "promptly" after their 18th birthday to express their willingness to donate and to record their wishes - in addition to yes and no, also "undecided".
Green MP Sven Lehmann said more donors were needed. But such a sensitive question should remain “a decision that a person must actively affirm.” The objection regulation “essentially means nothing other than a socialization of the body”. Michael Brand (CDU) said that positive consent is needed everywhere, even when using websites. “We now want to turn things around by the state when it comes to the organs?” There are many concrete steps that can save lives. To date, there has been a lack of a sensible online campaign to inform and convince.
What the prospects are
The draft bill for objection regulations is supported by 254 MPs - the contra proposal is initially supported by 58 MPs. What majority will ultimately emerge in the Bundestag with its total of 630 members remains to be seen in the coming months. Next comes committee deliberations on the initiatives before finally a vote in the plenary session - as is often the case with difficult ethical questions without otherwise usual party lines.
What the situation is like with organ donations
Organs such as kidneys, livers and hearts for seriously ill patients have long been urgently needed. Last year, 985 people gave up one or more organs for others after death, according to the coordinating German Organ Transplantation Foundation. This was the highest level since 2012. At the same time, there were 8,200 people on waiting lists at the end of 2025. In general, the problem is that many people - generally speaking - have a positive attitude towards organ donation, but have no desire to do so. The burden of making a decision then falls back on relatives of the deceased.
Where you can deposit your will
A basic yes or no to organ donation after death can be documented on an organ donor card, in a living will or otherwise on paper. It has also been online since March 2024: on the portal www.organspende-register.de you can digitally document your attitude from the age of 16. There are currently almost 633,000 declarations, as the operator, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, announced. 82 percent fully agreed to organ removal, although it is only possible for certain organs. 8.7 percent lodged an objection.
