Case Studies 45

XIX. Case: Post-mortem organ donation and religious conflicts II

A young woman aged 28 dies in the hospital emergency room, after

having suffered a sudden myocardial infarction at home. She comes
from a family of strict orthodox protestant tradition. Because of their

negative. However, when the intensive care physician consults the Na-
tional Donor Registry (as is mandatory in such situations according to
Dutch law), it is found that the woman is registered as an organ donor.
Under Dutch law, the explicit will of the deceased should be followed
and the next of kin do not have a legal right to overrule this. The next
of kin (parents and sister), who are present in the hospital, are con-

liberation, assent to donation of only the heart valves, since the heart is
not suitable for transplantation. They had consulted the vicar of their
church, who told them that whole organs cannot be removed since the
Bible teaches that the body should be buried intact. However, they
agree to the donation of the heart valves. When the family comes to the
morgue to make arrangements for the final farewell ceremony (at their
home) and the burial, only then do they learn that, to retrieve the heart
valves, the whole heart has been explanted and sent to the valve bank.
The family seems to resign to the situation, but the vicar protests ve-
hemently and demands that the donation should be undone, as, other-
wise, he will raise a public protest and contact several newspapers.

Michael Bos, The Netherlands

Please discuss the alternatives and justify your answer!

How should the hospital staff proceed?
1. The hospital staff proceeds with the valves donation as it is in
line with the legal requirements and is also in accordance with

2. The hospital staff decides to avoid negative publicity and thus

orders the heart back, after the valves have been removed by
the valve bank, to be buried together with the body.