Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science

View from the Kleinleher Family Science Building

My view was enhanced this week when Daphna Levin-Kahn (Jewish Studies Co-ordinator in the High School) mentioned to me that she had seen an excellent piece of writing by one of our Year 8 students. On investigation, I found that Yoni Amsalem had produced the letter reproduced below in response to a Performance of Understanding that we had set on organ donation. In the task, the students are asked to research the various parts of the body that can be donated, including when they can be donated. They are then asked to provide their opinion on donation in some way. The opinion is supposed to be persuasive and they are asked to include the Science they have researched as well as any other information that they feel is relevant. We value the students’ thought processes as well as their ability to process and communicate information from a variety of sources. Yoni’s contribution combines the Science that we were looking for with an admirable depth of research into the Jewish view of organ donation and shows a depth of thought that I thought was worth sharing here. Well done Yoni!

Yoni Amsalem – Year 8

Dearest Imma and Abba

I am writing this difficult letter because it is easier for me to put all of this into writing than to talk to you face-to-face about this challenging topic. I am writing this formally in case one day you need to use it to show a medical team so they also know what my wishes for my body are. I realise that the decision about whether to donate my organs is a very personal one and that should this decision come about, it will do so at an incredibly difficult and emotional time for you both. I am hoping that this letter will help you know how I feel and what I want done.

I realise that as we are Jews, there is a religious perspective to consider. I have done quite a bit of personal research into this. I understand that the Orthodox rabbinical perspective is somewhat mixed regarding this topic. There is an argument regarding the exact timing or what constitutes death. My understanding is that Rabbis argue whether death occurs when the brain stops functioning or the heart. Most Rabbis seem to agree that the Halacha supports death occurring when the heart stops beating. I find this difficult to completely agree with because people can be kept alive on a life support machine but if their brain is no longer working then they are already dead. If the machine is turned off, then the person will quickly die.

Jewish law also says that we should not desecrate or alter the body after death or delay its burial. I find this a difficult thing to process in relation to organ donation. I understand in this case that the removal of the organs may be considered a desecration however it is also hoped that this would take place in a clinical and respectful manner. I also find it difficult to justify this law against the greatest Jewish law of Pikuach Nefesh or the importance of saving a life. As I write this, I am torn between my desire to respect my body and have it buried whole or be able to perform the greatest mitzvah in saving someone else’s life.

From what I understand of the organ donation process, the organs to be harvested must be collected when they are still functioning and in order for this to occur the person must be connected to a life support machine. The person would then be taken to an operating theatre where their organs are removed from the body and the life support then turned off. This is what I personally struggle with the most. Deep down in my heart of hearts, I believe that if that person is warm, their heart beating and lungs moving air in and out then they are still alive until the time their organs cease functioning. Jewish law has a state called gosses which is when a person is expected to die within 72 hours. The law states that no one should interfere with the dying person or in any way precipitate their death. It is difficult for me to argue therefore that the act of switching off a life support machine is not interfering with the gosses. Despite this, from my reading I gather that even within the Jewish community there is a variety of opinions which essentially comes down to perspective.

You may be wondering why I am even considering this difficult issue. The best way I can explain this is to tell you that I recently read an article on organ donation and discovered that 7000 Americans die every year waiting for an organ transplant. Even here in Australia, about 1400 people are on a waiting list for a suitable organ without which they will most likely die. I also learnt that one organ and tissue donor has the ability to transform up to ten lives and that in 2016, 503 dead organ donors and their families saved the lives of 1,447 people. Reading this, it is hard to deny the benefits of organ donation.

When I investigated this further, I discovered a number of facts I had not been aware of previously. I guess I always knew that hearts and lungs could be donated but I hadn’t realised that also commonly donated are cornea and other eye tissue, kidneys which can be donated from a live donor and even parts of a liver which I learnt is able to regrow in the host’s body. The fact that the liver has this ability is especially important for transplants to children who need smaller organs. It is difficult for me to argue against the value of saving a child’s life.

I want to thank you both for your patience with me as I have worked through this process on paper to help me work out my own feelings and wishes. My overall desire is to be able to help others and I guess the ultimate mitzvah is to be able to save another person’s life. Obviously my preference is to do this whilst I am alive but I think that I would also like this to be the case if I was to die. It is obviously a problem for me when considering the Jewish law and how that relates to what defines death. My preference would therefore be that organs be collected as soon as my heart stops beating. I believe there is a way when the heart can be allowed to stop beating but then is restarted for the purpose of collecting the organs. I think this might be ok. However, this is a lot about perspective and yours’ is important in this decision. If my decision offends your own religious or personal perspective, then I absolutely respect your right to make a decision you can live with.

Your loving son

Yoni