Like an awful lot of people, I’ve ticked the various boxes and filled in the various forms that say that, after I’m dead, various bits of me can be used a) to directly save someone’s life through a transplant; b) to indirectly save lives by being donated to training or experimentation; or c) to be cut up in new and interesting ways for purposes of juvenile humour.

Now, in a perfect world, you’d be able to specify, for example, that only A was acceptable, and not B or C, but I couldn’t find that box on the form…

But some lovely medical folk thing that’s not enough; instead everyone should be on the list, unless they jump through hoops to ensure they’re not on it.

Guess what. I’ll be one of those jumping through the hoops. Because I have no problem with charity (which is what donating is), while I have much problem with theft (which is what is being talked about; the taking without consent and with an intent to permanently deprive). So while I would be quite happy to give body parts, I’d be less impressed if they were taken.

The entire thing behind ‘presumed consent’, in all its legalistic forms, annoys me. For a start, it’s illegal in private business and the Real World, but it’s the glue that keeps so much of the public sector going. Which would be ground enough to dislike it, but to bring theft into it as well, that’s just nasty.