WHILE Scots are contemplating the country's future, one Glasgow politician has been asking the public to make another decision.

It's a little less high- profile perhaps but a decision that has the potential to save lives.

For the past three months, Labour MSP Anne McTaggart has been travelling the length and breadth of Scotland gathering feedback on her proposed Organ and Tissue Donation (Scotland) Bill.

It proposes to introduce an opt-out transplant system in Scotland, following the lead of Wales, and was launched on the back of the Evening Times' ground-breaking Opt for Life campaign.

Under the Welsh system, which is due to come into force on December 1, next year, the public will have three choices.

If you are happy to donate after death, you can register a yes - as you would do now - or simply choose to do nothing. If you do not want to donate, you can 'opt out' of the system.

The system is preferable for a number of reasons.

Surveys tell us that up to 90% of people agree to donation but don't get round to signing the register. This means that often families may be going against their loved ones' wishes by refusing consent.

On the flip side, without a system that gives you the opportunity to say no, families could be agreeing to donation against their relative's wish.

An opt-out system means that the donor's wishes are more likely to be respected, there is less of a burden on the family to make the final decision and the doctors involved in the transplant process know they are acting on the most accurate information.

Crucially, the end result, according to charities such as the British Heart Foundation, is that the number of potentially life-saving transplants will increase.

THE Welsh government estimate the change will lead to an extra 15 donors each year and 45 extra organs.

A similar result could be expected in Scotland. That number may seem small but 38 people in Scotland died last year waiting for a transplant.

The Scottish Government has made great strides in driving up donor rates. Figures released this year show that 341 transplants were carried out in 2013-14, compared to 207 in 2007-08.

However, 600 people are now waiting for the call that could change their life.

With the public consultation on Ms McTaggart's proposed bill due to end on September 25, the public has three weeks left to help shape a health policy that could offer them hope.

Take part in the consultation at http://www.annemctaggart.co.uk/organ-donation-bill-consultation-launched