Organ Transplant

Question

What is the generally accepted stance on organ transplants? What are the differences in the accepted forms of organ transplants for each Jewish denomination? What major beliefs would be involved in this ethical issue?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    In theory organ donations are permissible, however, the whole subject is fraught with all kinds of problems within Jewish Law. The greatest of them all is that of the definition of death. The moment of death according to Jewish Law is not the same as according to civil law. Subsequently, the greatest authorities in Jewish Law of our generation are hesitant to give a general answer.

    Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ruled that one cannot use hearts for transplants because when heart transplants were first introduced it was imperative to use the heart of the donor before the donor could be classified as dead according to Jewish Law. Today, with the advancement of technology, such a ruling may not be applicable in every case, and therefore each case should be judged by a Torah scholar who is also an expert in this subject. This is the case for all potential donors and donees for transplants. The people involved need to discuss their case with a Torah scholar who is an expert in the field because each case must be judged individually.

    Transplants which do not require the death of the donor, such as kidney transplants etc., are certainly permitted since the donor is capable of surviving with only one kidney, whereas the donee will not be able to live without the transplant. That is why immediate family members are often encouraged to be donors because statistics prove that their organs have a better chance for successful transplantation than others.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team