fbpx
[additional-authors]
November 8, 2012

When we pass from this world and our bodies enter the ground, do we merely wish to be remembered or do we wish to give the gift of life to others? For the medical, economic, and moral wellbeing of our society, the United States must change its policy on organ donation requirements.

Last week, we in my community were shocked and relieved when one congregant received a new kidney (a 100 percent perfect match, which is quite rare). After much pain and prolonged dialysis, she and her family are able to start a new life.

When my colleague and friend Robby Berman founded the “>grows by 4,000 every day due to the sharp increase in type 2 diabetes (the leading cause of kidney failure) and other factors:


• In a recent 10-year period, “>the percentage of people still living 5 years after their transplant ranged from a low of 54 percent for lung recipients to 75 percent for heart recipients. However, while about 79 organ transplants take place every day, another 18 people die on the waiting list before they receive a transplant.

Princeton University ethicist Peter Singer boldly argued that it is immoral to keep both of one’s kidneys, since we generally only need one and someone will die if we do not donate our kidney to them. We are not all on the moral level to donate our kidneys as living donors, but at least at the end of our lives we all must take this step. If everyone would commit to donating their organs at the time of their death, this would help to alleviate the worldwide organ shortage and its associated abuses. “>100 million Americans have signed up to be organ donors. However, America needs to offer more incentives to draw in those unwilling to donate. Spain and Austria, to take but two examples, have adopted an opt-out approach, called presumed consent, to posthumous organ donation. An opt-out, rather than an opt-in, approach is more likely to produce a society that takes care of its own.


There is an important rabbinic debate about whether death occurs at the cessation of the heartbeat or at the death of the brain stem, but virtually all major authorities take the lenient approach, agreeing that saving lives is the highest value.


Some ultra-Orthodox Israelis have said they will accept organ donations but not give them. This is clearly immoral. In response, the Israeli government has decided to try a new system that would give organ transplant priority to patients who have agreed to donate their own organs as well. Thus, Israel has become the first country in the world to incorporate “nonmedical” criteria into the organ donation priority system. Medical necessity would, of course, still be the first priority. This is a step in the right direction. We must be a nation of givers as that is the purpose of our people. The Israeli government should continue to lead the way toward incentivizing the moral commitment of organ donation.


In the Talmud, saving a life supersedes almost all other values, and thus organ donation is one of the great religious acts according to Jewish law. Mature religious thinking requires that we consider the big picture: our spiritual existence after our physical existence has expired. We should open up conversations with our loved ones about what we want to happen with our organs after we leave this world. The Halachic Organ Donor Society is leading the way in opening this conversation, but we also need more voices to advocate for positive change. We must be proactive and “choose life!”
 

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz is the Founder and President of “>Jewish Ethics & Social Justice: A Guide for the 21st Century.” Newsweek named Rav Shmuly

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Difficult Choices

Jews have always believed in the importance of higher education. Today, with the rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, Jewish high school seniors are facing difficult choices.

All Aboard the Lifeboat

These are excruciating times for Israel, and for the Jewish people.  It is so tempting to succumb to despair. That is why we must keep our eyes open and revel in any blessing we can find.  

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.