Bulgarian Church: tentative decision on organ transplants

The entire Church needs to get together on this. People need clear teaching on this and on assisted reproduction techniques.

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(Sophia Globe) - The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued its position on organ transplants, a day after Health Minister Kiril Ananiev met faith groups and asked them to declare support for state policy on the matter.

The governing body of the church, to which the majority of Bulgarians declare themselves to be adherents, said that it gave its blessing to the performing of organ transplants, subject to a number of conditions.

These include “strict and regulated observance of fundamental bio-ethical principles”, establishment of brain death according to strictly defined clinical criteria, and written informed consent by the donor or his closest relatives.

“The entire clinical transplantation process needs to be co-ordinated and carried out by well-established national transplantation centres that have the trust of society and ensure as far as possible the observance of the brain death procedure and the overall rights of the donor, and to ensure the highest success rates of the transplant procedure in the interest of the recipient,” the church said.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church said that it reserved the right to change its position in the event of amendment to the country’s laws on organ transplants.