Too many people have their quality of life compromised because they struggle to breathe or spend days attached to dialysis machines, while a heart, lung or kidney transplant could give them a future to look forward to.

Too many families watch a loved one slowly dying as they wait for the phone call which could change everything.

Too many others will wonder if a lost one could have given another family the gift of life if only doctors had been able to act quicker.

And, even apart from these very human and personal arguments there is the more hard-headed economic argument – organ transplants are more cost-effective treatments than options such as dialysis.

That's why the Evening Times wants a change in the law to make organ donation the norm. Rather than having to register to donate it would be more effective to reverse the rules and create a register for those who wish to opt-out. Such a change would make non-donation the exception.

That does not mean that the concerns of those who do not want their organs donated should not have their needs addressed. It is absolutely essential that those who wish to opt out of donating have an easy, accessible and universal means of doing so.

Similarly the views of the next of kin should, where possible, be taken into consideration.

The Scottish government has done a superb job in changing rules and regulations to encourage more donors. However, the fact remains that many more donors are needed.

The Evening Times will also use this exercise to persuade more people to register as donors until the legislation is changed to opt-out.

But we firmly believe that switching to 'opt-out' will transform and save many more lives every year. We are setting ourselves the ambitious target of getting 10,000 people to sign our petition to Opt for Life.

And we urge every reader to not only sign up themselves, but to encourage everyone they know to do the same.

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