"Kidney dialysis patients in Lichfield’s Victoria Hospital and elsewhere
have been dealt a cruel blow by the Government tonight" said Michael
Fabricant after an amendment which could have assisted organ transplants was
defeated by a Labour three line whip.

Michael Fabricant supported an amendment backed by many Conservative and
Liberal-Democrat MPs which would have amended the Human Tissue Bill
currently passing through Parliament to enable many more human organs to
become available for transplant operations. "Each year thousands of people
die from heart, kidney, liver, and other organ failure simply because
Britain has a shortage of donor organs" says Michael. "This amendment,
which has popular support, because it is right, would have meant that organs
could be used for transplant purposes after a donor’s death even if he or
she did not have a donor card on him or her at the time of death. I
appreciate that there will be some who do not wish to donate their organs
for whatever reason. They would have been free to register their objection
which would have prevented their organs from being removed after death.

"Having campaigned long and hard with many others to keep our dialysis unit
open in Lichfield and having seen for myself how patients have to be treated
two or three times a week just to stay alive, I recognise how a shortage of
donor organs is ruining people’s lives.

"In many cases, it is ending their lives.

"This amendment, had it been passed, would have enabled many more transplant
organs to be available. Many more people’s lives would have been saved
nationally and in the west midlands.

"Conservative and Liberal-Democrat whips gave MPs a free vote on this
amendment. I am horrified that on this moral issue, Labour applied a
three-line whip to vote against the amendment. I applaud those Labour MPs
who had the courage to defy their whips and vote as their conscience
dictated" adds Michael Fabricant.

The amendment was defeated with a Government majority of 247.