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Judaism and organ donation

In principle, Judaism supports and encourages organ donation in order to save lives (pikuach nefesh).

This principle can sometimes override the strong objections to any unnecessary interference with the body after death (nivul hamet), and the requirement for immediate burial of the complete body.

As all cases are different, Jewish law requires consultation with a competent Rabbinic authority before consent is granted.

If an organ is needed for a specific, immediate transplant then it could be considered a great honour for a Jew to donate organs to save another person's life.

But if the organs were being donated into an organ bank, or for medical research, then this may be looked on less favourably.

There is also the concern that during the transplant operation, the doctor may remove the organ that is being donated before the patient is actually dead according to Jewish law. This could be seen as effectively killing the patient, which is obviously forbidden.

A discussion of transplants

Rabbi Chaim Rapoport is the Medical Ethics Officer for the Chief Rabbi's Cabinet. Also contributing are Reverend Mark Bratton, an Anglican chaplain and former barrister specialising in medical law who teaches medical ethics and law at Warwick University, and Dr John Harris, the Sir David Alliance Professor of Bioethics at Manchester Uni with a background as joint Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics and a Fellow of the United Kingdom Academy of Medical Sciences.