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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 11:02 15/10/2007 Israel Medical Association: Bill would encourage organ trafficking By Ran Reznick and Yair Ettinger, Haaretz Correspondents The Israel Medical Association is vehemently opposed to a bill that would enable certain organ donors to be reimbursed for their expenses by the state, saying it would open the door to organ sales. The proposal, sponsored by the Health Ministry, is part of a broader bill intended to regulate organ donations that is currently under discussion in the Knesset. A subcommittee of the Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee will hold its final session on the bill Tuesday. Under the bill, people who donate a kidney or a liver lobe - regardless of whether they donate to a relative or a stranger - would receive a fixed sum of NIS 17,000-18,0000 from the state to cover the costs of "activities connected with removing the organ." In addition, they would receive variable compensation for loss of income and higher health insurance premiums. The ceiling on this compensation would be set by the health and finance ministers, with the Knesset's approval. Advertisement The subcommittee is also discussing several alternatives to the Health Ministry proposal. One, sponsored by MKs Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) and Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), would reimburse donors only for medical treatments for health problems arising from the donation. Under this bill, only people who donate to relatives would be compensated for missed work days. Another bill, initiated by MK Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism), would grant donors far more extensive benefits than the Health Ministry's bill would. The ministry claims that these benefits, which include a monthly stipend, tax breaks and university scholarships, could total tens or even hundreds of thousands of shekels per donor. It also warns that such payments could be viewed as encouraging people to sell their organs, which could lead to Israel's expulsion from the World Health Organization. But Prof. Avinoam Reches, head of the IMA's ethics office, charged that even the ministry's proposal could be viewed as encouraging organ sales. "To the best of my knowledge, Israel would be the first country to enable its citizens to legally be paid for donating organs," he said. "Ostensibly, the donor would only receive 'reimbursement for expenses,' at the state's expense, but that would open a door to additional, under-the-table arrangements between the donor and the recipient ... This is a gateway to organ trafficking under the state's auspices." Reches said that the IMA therefore backs the Yachimovich-Gal-On bill, since reimbursement solely for health damage would not encourage organ sales. He also argued that the ministry proposal is unlikely to significantly increase organ donations, since even with state reimbursement, very few people are willing to donate an organ to a stranger. But Meir Broder, of the Health Ministry's legal office, retorted that several Western countries, including England, France, Spain and the United States, permit donors to be reimbursed for expenses. All of these countries forbid organ sales, but see reimbursement as a way of encouraging donations, he said. Meanwhile, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger said last week that the chances of a breakthrough in the rabbinate's longstanding negotiations with the medical profession over organ donations are "negligible." But Rabbi Yigal Shafran, who is the rabbinate's representative in these talks, told Haaretz on Sunday that he believes a new proposal by MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) could lead to "significant progress" in the discussions. While most rabbis agree that it is permissible to take organs from a dead person to save another person's life, many rabbis believe that death only occurs when the heart stops, whereas the medical profession determine death by brain death. As a result, many rabbis currently forbid their followers from agreeing to become organ donors, for fear that their organs will be harvested while, halakhically speaking, they are still alive. Related articles Police arrest nine accused of trafficking human organs Bookmark to del.icio.us Public discontent Teachers are replacing port workers in the public's mind as the 'serial national strikers.' Bad for academia? A Haifa professor says funding from corporations gives rise to some ethical conundrums.   1.   A matter of life and death..... 07:32  |  Esther 15/10/07   2.   Brain Death & Halacha 08:55  |  Robby Berman 15/10/07   3.   Never let me go! 10:44  |  FALON-GONG WOMEM/MEN 15/10/07   4.   Bad madness 11:38  |  charles soper 15/10/07   5.   Holy before the Lord 13:35  |  Opposed to this 15/10/07   6.   No point of return...... 14:37  |  Esther 15/10/07

Today Online J'lem sources: Rice won't impose any conditions on Israel Responses: 114 Amira Hass: Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a zoo Responses: 80 Akiva Eldar: Only Bush can push PA, Israel into peace accord Responses: 15 Rabin assassin Yigal Amir asks to attend son's circumcision Responses: 51 Haaretz.com TV: Despite lobby's power, U.S. Jews are losing their bond to Israel Responses: 20 Rosner's Domain * New Guest: How to stop Hamas from spoiling the peace process? * WTR: The future of neoconservatism * Poll: Is Rice's effort brave, pathetic, realistic, dangerous? * Is it OK for Coulter to want Jews to become Christian? More Headlines 12:53 Rice meets Abbas in West Bank in latest peace push 14:39 Olmert and Holocaust survivors' groups agree on pensions hike 14:14 Envoy urges UN to quit Quartet over lack of regard for human rights 14:12 Draft constitution ignores crucial question of who is a Jew 11:09 Opposition, coalition MKs call on PM to quit in wake of 3rd probe 13:41 PA to hold first census in decade in hope for boost in peace talks 13:22 Israeli sources confirm W. Bank residency granted to 5,000 Palestinians 14:06 Egypt denies indifference toward arms smuggling into Gaza Strip 11:02 Israel Medical Association: Bill would encourage organ trafficking 12:57 Police want charges against attorney who slapped MK over Nazi slur 11:30 Japan requests permission to participate in Annapolis summit 11:27 PM Olmert pushing for casino in Red Sea resort town of Eilat 11:43 Women's groups: Livni not feminist enough to represent Israel at summit Previous Editions Select Day 14 oct 12 oct 11 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct 07 oct 05 oct 04 oct 03 oct 02 oct 01 oct

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