Organ donor laws in Northern Ireland now match up to the rest of the UK. The opt-out system is in place as laws are getting passed by the UK government for Northern Ireland following a stalemate at Stormont.

The Northern Irish Government has been a source of a stalemate amid the UK’s Brexit situation. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) were in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. They decided to boycott the election of a speaker for the Northern Irish assembly. This meant that parliamentary business was hampered.

The stalemate continued, however, it seems to be at an impasse now as Dáithí’s Law was passed in February by the UK government and has now come into action.

It means that people in Northern Ireland will have to opt out of organ donation, much like the rest of the UK.

The law was named after Dáithí Mac Gabhann who is a six-year-old who has been on the list to get a heart transplant for over five years. His family campaigned tirelessly for this law to come into force and so it was named after him in recognition of that.

The law will involve all Northern Irish adults, they will all have to opt out of becoming organ donors unless they are children under 18, people who lack the mental capacity to understand the change in law or visitors to Northern Ireland and temporary residents.

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