Overview
- A cross-party group presented the draft in Berlin on Thursday, seeking a first reading before the summer and a vote this year, with the law slated to take effect on January 1st, 2030.
- The bill would presume all competent adults are donors unless they opt out in the national register, and it would prevent relatives from overruling donation when no refusal is on file.
- Supporters say the shift would spare grieving families from making a rushed yes-or-no decision at the bedside when no written wish exists.
- The sponsors plan a long information push that includes letters to every 18-year-old explaining the rules and that doing nothing will count as consent.
- A separate cross-party bloc, patient advocates and major churches oppose the change as a rights intrusion, and medical experts warn it will only work alongside hospital reforms, noting Germany had 985 postmortem donors in 2025 and more than 8,200 people on waiting lists.