An average of nearly 300 people a day have added their names to the opt-out register for organ donation since legislation was introduced six months ago that makes every adult a donor unless they expressly withdraw their consent. HSE figures show 202 organ transplants for 2025, thanks to 97 organ donors, living and deceased, and their families. Dr Catherine Motherway, former head of the Limerick intensive care unit, told the Irish Examiner that the number of organ donors this year is down on previous years. "We know that this is not due to people not choosing to be organ donors. None of the potential organ donors this year had their names on the opt-out register," she said.

Source: Irish Examiner January 11, 2026 17:00 UTC