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Certain fundamental Jewish law questions arise in issues of organ donation. Donation of an organ from a living person to save another's life, where the donor's health will not appreciably suffer, is permitted and encouraged in Jewish law. Donation of an organ from a dead person is equally permitted for the same purpose: to save a life (''pikuach nefesh''). This simple statement of the issue belies, however, the complexity of defining death in Jewish law. Thus, although there are side issues regarding mutilation of the body etc, the primary issue that prevents organ donation from the dead amongst Jews, in many cases, is the definition of death, simply because to take a life-sustaining organ from a person who was still alive would be murder. Because in Jewish law, organ donation raises such difficult questions, it has traditionally been met with some skepticism. In both Orthodox Judaism and non-Orthodox Judaism, the majority view holds that organ donation is permitted in the case of irreversible cardiac rhythm cessation. However most organs must be transplanted before the heart has ceased, and this has led to much discussion and assessment of Jewish law so that today, whilst there continues to be opposition to transplantation before cardiac/respiratory death, there are several authorities which argue that it is allowed, and this is now the official position of the government of the State of Israel and its Chief Rabbinate. In any event, it is always advised to consult with a rabbi before making a decision. == Relevant principles of Jewish Law == In judging cases for organ donation, rabbis apply a range of Jewish principles and consider precedents concerning the donor. In Judaism, almost all acts are permissible in order to save the life of another, provided the risk of that person’s death is real and immediate (pikuach nefesh) – the only acts not permissible are blood shedding, incest, and idolatry. If the donor is living then he may not donate an organ where this will risk his death, even if this is to save the life of another. However, where there will be no appreciable detriment to his health, he may do so, and some even argue he is obligated.〔 If the donor is dead, there is again, in principle, no obstacle to organ donation so long as it is for the purpose of pikuach nefesh, but the reality is that the donor must be dead, otherwise the removal of vital organs would constitute murder, and the issue is how death is defined. Traditionally Judaism defined death as the absence of a cardiac/respiratory beat, but with advances in modern medicine and the advent of the concept of brain or brain stem death, which may occur whilst the heart and lungs are maintained artificially in a viable state, disagreement has arisen as to when organs may be harvested. The traditional opinion is that it is only after the cessation of cardio-respiratory activity, which renders unviable the potential for transplant of many organs. However the above medical advances have led to much discussion and assessment of Jewish law so that today, whilst there continues to be opposition to transplantation before cardiac/respiratory death, there are several authorities which argue that it is allowed, and this is now the official position of the government of the State of Israel and its Chief Rabbinate. In any event, there is no agreed consensus, and it is always advised to consult with a rabbi before making a decision. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Organ donation in Jewish law」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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