This is not going to be a happy blog. Because we have been let down- big time.
I had known, since I was a young man, that I was not allowed to donate my organs, should I reach an untimely (or timely) death. My religion forbids the defilement of a corpse. Until 1986, when the Chief Sfardi Rabbi (Ovadya Yosef) issued a proclamation…It would be permissible to donate one’s organs to save another’s life- actually, it was an honor for the dead. (The principles are called Pikuach Nefesh [the obligation to save someone in peril] and Kavod Hamet [honoring the dead].). You may not recognize how radical this was- it turned 5000+ years of tradition and rabbinic rulings on its head.
I announced to my then fiance (now former wife) that I would be traipsing over to the DMV first thing the next morning to change my license, when I heard this news. It would now read “Organ Donor”. I spread the word to my extended family, asking them to do so, as well. (Many of you know that I have been developing artificial organs and medical devices for more than 4 decades now.) And, when the Ashkenazi tradition (actually the Rabbinical Council of America, currently headed by my former classmate, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin) adopted this position 5 years or so later, I went to many a synagogue exhorting folks to become organ donors, as well.
Until last year. When I learned that, due to the continued shortage of organs, a “slight” change would occur. First, I should provide a few facts. About 99% of us succumb to death in the traditional fashion. We stop breathing, our blood stops circulating, or our hearts fail. Only about 1% of us encounter brain death.
And, since 1981, with the passage of the Uniform Determination of Death Act, brain death has been the law of the land. Except, we are no longer following the definition propounded in 1968 by the Harvard Medical School committee that was the basis of this law. That brain death be determined with a simple EEG (electroencephalograph), insuring that there are no brain waves, so the person is truly dead.
No, we do something else entirely. Poke your eyes with a cotton swab. Splash water in your eyes. Check for a gag reflex. And, if one is truly diligent, an apnea test is performed- where the ventilator tube is pulled to see if you can breathe on your own. Nope? Voila, you’re dead. And, you are immediately reconnected to the ventilator, to keep you and your organs alive for the potential recipients(s).
If you think I’m kidding, check with your local hospitals. And, imagjne if something untoward happens to you when you’re traveling- where the less scrupulous may harvest your organs prematurely.
You see, here’s another fact. The “beating heart cadaver (BHC)” (which presumably is you or me, in this case) is not anesthetized when the organs are harvested. (Why anesthetize us? We’re dead, right?). And many a BHC react to this scalpel cutting into their bodies with spiking heart rates or dramatic elevations in their blood pressure. Reflex? (Reflexes for the dead?) I, for one, am unwilling to violate my religion in this harvest quest.
So, I am no longer an organ donor (using the common vernacular). Instead, I now let my children make the decision- after, an EEG is performed. No brainwaves? Please donate my organs to save a life or make someone able to see, avoid dialysis, get a liver.
But, not a moment sooner.
You know, I did the same thing and went to be an organ donor. I have no kids though to make the choice for me, and as the last of my line I had to name my attorney as medical POA (assuming my mother is no longer around or isn’t capable). And no part of that makes me comfy remaining an organ donor.
On a completely aside note, I’m going to have to email you a story I was told by the wife of a man who received a donated heart…
I just believe that we need to be told the truth, Lisa
Thanks for this Roy. I didn’t know it had been overturned. But, the full ramifications are scary. Yeeesh.
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Squared!
I’ve often wondered about this Roy. Would they be too keen to get your organs and not do the appropriate tests?
I also never knew that the Jewish religion forbids organ donors.
I think your decision is sensible given the circumstances. I really don’t know if the procedure is different here in Australia. I will check with some nurses I know.
Thanks Roy for this informative article.
Madonna
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I admit to complete blanks about the regs in Australia, Madonna. I do know that Israel requires the EEG test…
Use any cuss word here. That is unforgivable. I don’t blame you for changing your DMV designation. I am surprised that the Jewish Law of 5000 years was changed, but if there is an elevation in blood pressure and spiking heart rates, that is an indication that the person is not dead.
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Those were the “icing on the cake”. I don’t see why the test that LED to the adoption of the law should be discarded.
This is scary information. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Stacy
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You can still donate your organs, just pick the right gatekeeper, who makes sure you are no longer you…
Oh my goodness, Roy, your post is really scaring me. We are organ donors. Even my son, who just got his license, is an organ donor. How can this happen? How can they harvest your organs before your brain is really dead? It’s like something out of a horror movie! ~ Suerae
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They decided that brain stem is all they care about. They call it progress!
Wow! It’s no wonder this information isn’t widely publicized. It gives a whole new meaning to ‘black market’ organs. The gov’t already thinks they’re entitled to everything we own–why not our organs too? I think I’ll stick to letting my family make the decision too & hopefully their wishes will be honored. Thanks for the info.
Jenny:
It hit a few places- not many. And, because we all consider the gift of life to be such a benefit, many are afraid to bring up this “counterweight”…
Thanks for the visit…
Roy
Wow, so much information in one post Roy. First I commend you on your stepping up to try to assist another even in death. Second I thank you for bringing to light what could be a potentially horrid experince.
Is it possible to have placed into a living will something that addresses this I wonder…assuming there is no wonderful children to fall back on as you yourself have.
Certainly something to look into and talk with the family about.
Scary stuff.
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It is not clear whether a living will can so stipulate in all jurisdictions to a stranger. But if your living will is like mine, which provides for my children to have the say and it gives them guidance, then one can feel certain one’s wishes would be followed.
Yes, it is scary, Bonnie.
Roy
Okay so the greedy get there fast and first. And…but why do I care? If I am dead or nearly so, what do I need the organs for.
I think I shall just ascend and then come back and haunt those who overstep any bounds of propriety.
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There’s a wide chasm between dead and nearly so…
And, it certainly is not the “leap of faith” that would meet the dogma of my religion…
Roy