Presumed Consent Sought in Ontario, Canada

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government will have to consult the public more fully before it can consider becoming the first province in Canada to make every eligible resident an automatic organ donor unless they say otherwise, Health Minister George Smitherman said Monday.

Smitherman said he's "comfortable" with the idea of presumed consent, which advocates say would dramatically boost the number of available organs by requiring anyone who doesn't want to donate to opt out ahead of time.