Should you get priority organ transplant treatment if you carry a donor card?

 

Do you carry a donor card? If so, and you live in Israel, come 2011 that same card will give you priority access to an organ transplant. And, not only you but your partner and close relatives will also have priority benefits should they need it.

How come? Well, Israel has become the first country to give donor carriers a legal right to priority treatment should require an organ transplant. The new law is intended to boost donation rates in Israel which have been called ‘grim’ by Prof. Jacob Lavee who is an advocate of the reform.

On air: Is climate change too big a problem to solve?

With only three days to go, fears are growing that a “deal with teeth” may be out of reach at the climate talks in Copenhagen. Divisions between rich and poor countries seem to be widening… there have been threats of walk outs… increasingly harsh words and accusations from some developing countries that industrialised nations are not serious about carbon reduction. What do you think – is that true? Was a worldwide solution too ambitious to begin with? Is climate change just too big a problem to solve?

Is Obama closing or just moving Guantanamo?

 

On Tuesday, President Obama outlined his future plans for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It includes acquiring the Thomson Correctional Center  in Carroll County, Illinois and transferring less than 100 (of the 210) detainees from Cuba to the U.S. facility.

Obama’s plan was a move to make good on his promise to close the Guantanamo detention camp but the plan wasn’t met with enthusiasm by everyone.

Do you trust your government to decide what you can see online?

I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that most of us wouldn’t want to check out websites containing images of graphic and disturbing sex abuse or detailed instructions for committing crimes. Most of us would find them abhorrent. But should those sorts of sites be censored from the internet altogether? And should your government be deciding what you should and shouldn’t see online?

Should your boss be allowed to read your personal texts?

I guess your immediate reaction to that question is “no”. But what if your mobile phone is supplied by your boss? Where are the boundaries then? Should your employer be able to access your personal communications if they’re the ones footing the bill for it?

The US Supreme Court will be looking at this very issue. 

On air: Did President Obama convince you?

We knew the figures yesterday. Now, after the speech, we know the reasoning, the strategy and the endgame. Are you impressed? Are you persuaded? And can it establish a democratic and stable Afghanistan, while keeping America and Afghan public opinion on board?

Iran’s nuclear ambitions: Sanctions or diplomacy?

They need us more than we need them. It is psychological warfare and isolating Iran is impossible    -    Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

The first day in a new job can sometimes be difficult, but spare a thought for Yukiya Amano – the IAEA’s new Director General. On Tuesday he officially succeeded Mohamed ElBaradei as the top boss at the UN’s nuclear watchdog, and it’s been a baptism of fire.

Is there anything wrong with this?

Adam Lambert, a contestant on American Idol, has refused to apologise for performing a simulated sex act with a male dancer and kissing his male keyboardist live on stage at a music awards ceremony.

What questions should the Iraq inquiry ask?

The Chilcot Inquiry into Britain’s role in Iraq begins today.  This time those answering to the public will include high-profile witnesses such as Tony Blair.  

There will be no results until 2010. Almost a decade on will it matter if the government has lied to its citizens about the invasion? And with those testifying not taking an oath, how can citizens be sure they are getting the truth out of their government?

On Air: The spirit of sport

It’s supposed to be  FOOTball … but one player used his HAND instead in a game on Wednesday. - it’s caused a diplomatic row, and a lot of soul-searching about the spirit of sport.

Thierry Henry controlled the ball with his left hand - twice – before passing to William Gallas, who scored the goal that takes France- not Ireland- to the World Cup Finals in South Africa next year. And the French striker has just said the game should be replayed

The Irish government isn’t happy, with the country’s Justice Minister calling for a replay.