National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford
March 20, 2000

Introduction

There is a developing crisis in organ transplantation in the UK with a year on year increase in the number of patients awaiting life saving treatment. Although the concepts of organ donation and transplantation are well known to the wider public there remain many misunderstandings. In addition issues around brain stem death, presumed consent, living related transplantation and commercial trade in organs have ethical and religious significance for all faiths. These threads provided the impetus for holding a national conference which would bring together diverse interested parties including religious leaders of the major faiths, clinicians and health care professionals, and policy makers, to discuss and debate moral and religious perspectives on organ donation and transplantation. We are indebted to all the speakers and to the Health Minister Lord Hunt who supported the day with the opening address. Special thanks are due to Dr. Peter Doyle, Senior Medical Officer at the Department of Health who chaired the proceedings with great skill and sensitivity. There in fact emerged a strong consensus in favour of organ donation from all the major faiths. The challenge is to convey this message to the grass roots and it is to be hoped that the religious leadership can assume a pro-active stance to help dispel myths and misconceptions at community level.

Dr Robin Jeffrey
Consultant Nephrologist
Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust

The full set of summarised papers from this conference are available free in booklet form. The titles of the papers are:

• Why numbers of organ donors must rise
• Call for 'common mind'
• Transplantation understood
• It was an honour to help out
• Law needs radical overhaul
• We will never forget the donor family
• Providing support to be able to make informed choices
• Reassurance is needed
• Acts of mercy are part of Christian faith
• Examining the issues
• The bedrock of orthodox Judaism
• Taking a consolidated approach
• Understanding the deep reverence for all things natural
• Helping for the sake of spiritual happiness
• Consensus of opinion is emerging
• Questions and Answers
• A decision of great ethical value