A change of heart
Argentina set to make everyone an organ donor
Only 287 of Argentina's 44 million people became organ donors this year. That is, until a bill well on its way to becoming a law makes every citizen a donor.
Argentina's lower house of Congress voted unanimously Wednesday to make everyone over 18 organ donors unless they opt out, Bloomberg reports. The bill had already passed the upper house unanimously and will now head to Argentina's president.
The presumed donor law is also known as the "Justina Law," named for a 12-year-old who died waiting for a heart transplant, per Argentina Reports. It's a lot like laws in France and the Netherlands that automatically place citizens on donor lists, but passed with a lot more support than the Dutch law.
Argentina currently has 7,727 citizens waiting for organ donations, Bloomberg says. The country previously tried to encourage donor registration and combat the shortage with this tear-jerking PSA about an old man and his dog.
Why that didn't motivate every Argentine to sign up immediately is a mystery.