Explicit consent or presumed consent： a confucian ethics review of the system for organ donation consent / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

At present， the system for organ donation consent in the world can be divided into two types based on the degree of initiative of consent， including explicit consent and presumed consent. The presumed consent system is more conducive to improving the organ donation rate than the explicit consent system， but the cultural adaptability of presumed consent in China is noteworthy. By examining the explicit consent system according to the ethical thoughts of Mencius， Xunzi， and the Confucian concept of body ethics， it can be found that the system of presumed consent is more consistent with the Confucian ethical concept of an ideal society than the explicit consent system. However， when implementing the policy of presumed consent， it is still necessary to pay attention to the influence of Confucian ethics， ensure gradual and incremental progress， and ensure the informed consent of donors.