Overview

• Nordrhein-Westfalen and seven other Länder have submitted the draft, which the Bundesrat is slated to discuss on Friday with the goal of sending it to the Bundestag.
• The participating states are Nordrhein-Westfalen, Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and Thüringen.
• The proposal would treat all adults as donors unless they have explicitly opted out, whereas current law requires explicit consent by the person or relatives.
• NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann argues that high public support is undermined by poor documentation of donor wishes and says the change could increase donations.
• Eurotransplant reports around 8,300 people were on waiting lists at the start of 2025 versus roughly 2,850 organs donated in 2024, after earlier legislative attempts failed in 2020 and stalled following the early 2025 election.