RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Islam and end-of-life organ donation. Asking the right questions
JF Saudi Medical Journal
JO Saudi Med J
FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City
SP 882
OP 886
VO 30
IS 7
A1 Rady, Mohamed Y.
A1 Verheijde, Joseph L.
YR 2009
UL http://smj.org.sa/content/30/7/882.abstract
AB Organ transplantation has become an established treatment option for end-stage organ disease. Both living and end-of-life (so called deceased) organ donation narrow the gap between supply and demand for transplantable organs. Advances in human biology prove that death occurs as a gradual process over time and not as a single discrete event. Declaring death with either neurological criteria (heart-beating organ donation) or circulatory criteria (non-heart-beating organ donation) enables the procurement of transplantable organs before human death is complete, namely, from the incipiently dying donor. Thus, surgical procurement of organs from the incipiently dying donor is the proximate cause of death, raising new questions on end-of-life organ donation. It is imperative to first and foremost care for the patient as a dying person. International Muslim scholars should reevaluate previous Islamic rulings and provide guidance about current practice of end-of-life organ donation.