Health Minister (Yesh Atid) Yael German is creating new organ donor realities in Israel, her way of addressing the critical shortage of donor organs. After consulting with national organ donation officials German is working to change the default for Israelis to automatically being an organ donor. That means, when one renews one’s drivers license, if one does not declare one does not wish to be an organ donor, one automatically will be added to the Adi donor list. German feels the default will be that all Israelis are organ donors unless one opts out.
According to the report appearing in the daily Haaretz, after one is niftar one’s organs may be donated without obtaining consent from the family. If the family objects, family members will have to sign.
German feels “many people today don’t sign donor cards because they simply do not find the time to complete the form and mail it” and this seems to be compelling her to implement the change.
The ministry’s legal experts are examining what will be required for one to opt out; perhaps via phone call, text message or if a signature is required. In short, to date, one was required to sign a form consenting to donate one’s organs. Under the new arrangement, one would have to sign a form to opt out and failure to do so would result in one being registered as an organ donor.
German admits she is looking into taking the ‘final say’ out of the family’s hands for she realizes at times, even if one signed an organ donor card the family objects and prevents the organ donation. She feels a family should not have such a right.
According to national statistics, 45% of Israelis today are not in favor of donating their organs.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
I think it is wrong that Charedim think it is okay to accept an organ donation but would never give up a kidney themselves.
The halachah of organ donation is complicated, but the meaning of the proposed regulation appears clear and simple: if you are observant and want to donate organs only in accordance with Torah, you have to get your paperwork straight with the driver’s licensing authorities.
Why do not let people know that after the doctor found out you are a donor they do not give you a 2nd chance and try to save your life?. Because once you are a donor yor are a walking corpse. Doctors themselves wrote this information keep for me most part a dirty little secret among the people who know better.
The government and the media do not let people know that once you are a donor you are a walking corpse.
Doctors will not work to save your life as much as if you are not a donor. This is a dirty little secret that doctors practice and talk about it.
aCCEPTING a donation seems dubious – does someone hold its okay to accept even if you hold against — or are people citing one rav in not donating, and a different rav in accepting
There is the problem of doctors not waiting until you are dead to start harvesting you for parts–that’s already been well documented in secular media
#1: Huh? It is perfectly permissable for Chareidim to give up a kidney. Many do this on a regular basis. I am the recipient of such a kidney.
Oh, you mean AFTER the donor dies? Well, Hallachah forbids it that in virtually all cases. If you think that’s wrong, go argue with Moshe Rabbeinu.
SecularFrummy,
You are wrong…the chareidim give more than any other sector.
Do you know that Renewal (a kidney organization in the states) is responsible for more than 1/3 of all “altruistic kidney transplants” in the United States? They get their kidneys from the “chareidi” community and I am one of them!
We give while we are alive!!!!
Litzman responded by saying this is the way the secular poeple force their way of living on all of us
כפייה חילונית
Shazam, incorrect. After someone dies it’s 100% muttar. It’s just not done because the organs most likely die as well.