During cadaver organ removal, the patient is handled with utmost respect and sensitivity. The organ(s) is removed like the surgical removal and the area is stitched properly. There is no disfigurement whatsoever.

The donor family is in detailed discussions not only with the transplantation doctor but also with his own treating doctor. A trained transplant coordinator, who is unconnected with the transplant team of the recipient and the treating team of the donor, will be there to objectively coordinate between the donor family and the transplant team. The donor family has the full right to choose which organs they wish to donate and this is, by law adhered to strictly. Moreover, all these facts are duly documented, by law.

The ‘brain dead’ declaration for organ transplantation, is done by a strict protocol with objective signs & symptoms as well as investigation (brain death tests) for confirmation. Moreover, all this assessment is done by 4 specialists and that too twice, with a gap of 6-12 hrs, as per law. This diagnosis is not dependent on the whims of one or two doctors.

Religions generally support the idea of ‘sacrifice’ and organ donation is a sacrifice of a high order and of something which is no longer of use to the donor.

The organ transplantation laws in India are now very stringent. No donation of organ or tissues is permitted for a price. Buying & selling human organs is a criminal offence. All transplantations have to go through the transplantation committees for approval and the most important aspect checked by them is the presence / absence of commercial angle in the organ donation. Any commercial interest detected is an important reason for rejection.

The organ or tissue donation is from a human to human. Doctors take decisions purely on medical grounds and do not differentiate one person from the other based on their social or financial background. The recipient match for the organ is based on the tissue matching, medical urgency and the waiting period, as per listing in the central registry of the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO).

All persons irrespective of age, build, caste, creed, religion or strength can donate their organs. A prospective donor might be rejected only if the person has a serious infectious disease or his heart has also stopped or his family refuses consent, even when the person concerned had a valid organ donor card

Brain dead patient does not perceive pain even though the heart is still beating. However, the harvesting of organs from a brain dead patient is done under anesthesia with the patient on ventilator, until the heart stops beating. So, pain cannot occur.

TThe harvested organs are given ONLY to hospitals which are approved by the Government agencies for the purpose. Secondly, the organs so removed are preserved ‘fresh’ and transported in special containers through special protocol, before they are transplanted. These are precious gifts and cannot be wasted.

Doctors take decisions purely on medical grounds and do not differentiate one from the other based on their social or financial background. The recipient match for the organ is based on the tissue matching, medical urgency and the waiting period. It is donation of an organ from a human being to another human being, without any prejudice based on social or financial status.

The primary duty of doctors & other healthcare workers is to save life of the patient. It is only when all the life saving efforts fail and the patient becomes brain dead, the consideration for organ harvesting comes up. Even after that a stringent protocol has to be followed mandatorily for declaring the patient brain dead. This evaluation is done twice over a gap of 6-12 hrs, by a designated brain dead committee of 4 specialists for the purpose. So, there is no chance of subjective discretion or error.

Once the brain death is declared, the hospital costs are not passed on to the donor family. They are either just waived off or will be borne by our organization.

After death the body & its organs are of no use. If you believe in re-incarnation, it is the soul which gets a new body, which may or may not be a human body. However, good deeds like organ donation will greatly enhance one’s ‘karmic account’

You should not rule yourself out for this activity. Leave it for the doctors to decide at the time of your death whether your organs can / should be harvested for transplantation.

Living organ donation can be done only for paired organs or where part of an organ can be transplanted. Although thorough investigative work up and risk benefit assessment is done before organ removal, yet there is some (though negligible) risk of complications in a live donor. In cadaver organ transplantation the donor is already brain dead and has no chance of complications. Moreover, in cadaver transplantation, multiple organs & tissues can be donated, to save several lives. So cadaver organ transplantation is much better for the society as a whole.

There is no age bar for cadaver organ donation. If you want to pledge your organs, talk to your parents. Most parents will appreciate your thought process. In case they have some doubts, the transplant coordinators or your family doctor or any other healthcare professional may be contacted for a good discussion on the subject for removal of doubts. Our organization can be contacted for clearing such doubts. The age bar of 18 years is, however, applicable for Living organ donation.

One of the basic aims of the Muslim Faith is ‘saving of life’. This is the fundamental aim of the Shariah and the Allah greatly rewards those who save others from death. The Shariah waives the prohibition of violation of human body, in cases of necessity and in situations of saving another’s life. The Islamic legal maxim, al-darurattubih al-mahzurat means necessities overrule prohibition. (Holy Qur’an chapter 5 vs 32)

As a matter of fact, helping others is central to Buddhism. Moreover, charity forms an integral part of a spiritual way of life, as per Buddhist belief. There are examples in Buddhist scriptures of the compassion shown by Buddha in giving his life & body to help others. The Sutra of Golden Light, chapter 18 shows how Buddha gave his body to save a starving tigress and her cubs, who were later born as his disciples. Dhammarati, Western Buddhist Order states, "I would be happy if I was able to help someone else live after my own death".Phramaha Laow Panyasiri, Abbot, The Buddhavihara Temple states, "Organ Donation is acceptable in Theravada Buddhism. It is a Buddhist virtue to generously extend help to other sentient beings and this covers the case of organ donation". Sogyal Rinpoche – The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying, published by Rider, mentions, "Organ Donation is an extremely positive action. As long as it is truly the wish of the dying person, it will not harm in any way the consciousness that is leaving the body. On the contrary, this final act of generosity accumulates good karma"

The Lord demonstrated with his own life how, even in sorrow, love enables us to embrace the needs of others. We can choose to donate our organs to save lives of many people. In Revelation, chapter 21:4,5, it mentions, "In eternity we will neither have nor need our earthly bodies : former things will pass away, all things will be made new". David Ebor, Archbishop of York has said, "I hope that Christian people will seriously and positively consider organ donation. The ready willingness to donate an organ is a clear sign of that sacrificial self giving for others patterned by Jesus Christ". His Holiness Pope John Paul II has stated, "Every organ transplant has its source in a decision of great ethical value ….. Here lies the nobility of a gesture which is a genuine act of love. There is a need to instill in people’s hearts a genuine and deep love that can find expression in the decision to become an organ donor". Methodist Church UK states, "The Methodist Church has consistently supported organ donation and transplantation in appropriate circumstances, as a means through which healing and health may be made possible".

As a matter of fact, the Sikh philosophy and teachings place great emphasis on the importance of giving and putting others before oneself. Guru Nanak, Guru Granth Sahib states, "The dead sustain their bond with the living through virtuous deeds". DrIndarjit Singh OBE, Director of the Network of Sikh organizations UK, endorsed by Sikh authorities in Amritsar, Punjab, has stated, "The Sikh religion teaches that life continues after death in the soul, and not in the physical body. The last act of giving and helping others through organ donation is both consistent with and in the spirit of Sikh teachings"