Opt-out organ donation bill reaches Welsh assembly Welsh health minister Lesley Griffiths says the new organ transplantation scheme is supported by the public and would save lives. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian The first organ donation scheme in the UK that puts the onus on citizens to opt out has come a step closer in Wales. Welsh minsters laid a bill before the national assembly on Tuesday that would put in place a "soft opt-out system" under which a person's consent to organ and tissue donation would be assumed unless they had objected during their lifetime. The Welsh government is also launching a publicity campaign, Heart to Heart, to encourage families to discuss the issue. Such a campaign is regarded as crucial because although families will not be legally required to give approval under the new law, it has been made clear that in practice donation will not take place without a family's "assistance." The issue remains a controversial one. Church leaders have spoken against the proposed changes, which could come into force by 2015. Health minister Lesley Griffiths said the move was supported by the public and would save and improve lives. But she said it was clear that a soft opt-out system alone would not increase donation rates. "Evidence from other countries shows the health service infrastructure has to be right to make it work," Griffiths said. We are confident in Wales we now have a strong infrastructure for organ donation, and changing the legislation is the best way to help those 379 people in Wales waiting for a transplant. Griffiths also made it clear the attitude of relatives was crucial. The role of the family is critical in informing the final decision on what happens to their relative's organs ... The family has no legal right to veto but, in practice, a clinician would never add to their distress by insisting on donation. Evidence shows the main reason families refuse to agree to organ donation they don't know what their loved one felt about organ donation. We are launching the 'Heart to Heart' campaign to encourage people to share their wishes with those around them. Under a system of deemed consent, families have the reassurance that their loved ones could have opted out of organ donation during their lifetime. When a donation goes ahead, doctors always speak to family members about matters such as the lifestyle of the deceased. If they choose not to give this information because they do not approve of the donation, the process is halted. Effectively, this would give families some wiggle room under a new opt-out system. The law would apply to people over the age of 18 who have lived in Wales for six months or more. People who lack capacity to understand that consent could be deemed would be excluded from the new system.