BERLIN, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- German parliament's upper house Bundesrat announced on Friday that it passed a reform on law to better and regularly inform citizens of organ donation to increase the number of registered organ donors.
However, organ donations in Germany would still be only permitted with explicit consent by the donors, according to the passed law which had already been approved by the Bundestag. The reform is expected to come into force in 2022.
In the future, German citizens who apply for an identity card or renew passport, would receive informational material about organ donations at least every 10 years, according to the reform.
Doctors in Germany should also play a greater role in providing regular information about organ donations once the reform comes into effect. If necessary, doctors should inform patients of organ donations every two years.
The Bundesrat regretted that the new law also applied to German immigration authorities. Language barriers could lead to the misunderstanding that there was a link between migrants' willingness to donate organs and an official decision on residence applications.
However, such misunderstandings were to be avoided and the German government was asked to take action so that immigration authorities were not required to provide information about organ donations, the Bundesrat noted in a statement.
