A leading reform rabbi has written to the Home Secretary urging the government to follow the example set by Wales on organ donation and institute a system of presumed consent.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire, sent a letter to Theresa May this week strongly supporting the “opt-out” system, which caused controversy among some members of the Jewish community when it was adopted by the Welsh Assembly last week.
He said that such a system should be welcomed. “In some cases it would be saving a life, for example with heart or lung transplants, and in others, such as a corneal or cochlear transplant, it will be enhancing life.
“I am conscious that there are concerns against such a practice — practical ones over harvesting organs, philosophical issues about personal autonomy, as well as religious objections over unnecessary incisions after death.”