NECESSITY IN XENOTRANSPLANTATION: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES REVISITED

Abstract

Organ failures cause significant problems and sufferings which affect the livelihood, quality of life and decrease in life expectancy to the person. The caregivers, family and community also carry the disease burden and costs of the organ failures. Allotransplantation (AT) offers probable cures to organ failure but is limited by the supply of human organs. Organ shortages have resulted in numerous biomedical ethical problems and illegal activities. Xenotransplantation (XT) and specifically Porcine Xenotransplantation (PXT) has high expectations from researchers and clinicians to be the alternative to AT. From the Islamic perspectives, multiple deliberations and fatwas are issued that vary from total prohibition to conditional permissibility and full permissibility. Often, ḍarūrah or dire necessity is invoked to make XT or PXT permissible. The relevant biomedical issues and whether pre-conditions for ḍarūrah have been satisfied are discussed.