Abstract
The Act on Organ Transplant places its legislative emphasis on the axis of the "donor family's consent" and "the autonomous decision of the donor." This paper attempts to explore the process of consensus formation necessary for organ transplantation in today's medical world, keeping in mind that such a process is dominated by the consent of the donor's family, often as a sole condition for transplant work. An unavoidable question regarding "consent" is whether the family willingly and unanimously makes a decision, or whether there is an element of coercion or at best, whether compromise is involved. This paper gives special attention to the discussion of bioethics in the United States, where the subject has long been debated, and places focus on the matter of family consent in the organ transplant process. From the perspective of Christian ethics, often involved in discussion of bioethical issues in the United States, it may be helpful for us to return to the Biblical narratives in the New Testament on family and clarify the core characteristic of family as a relationship. What we understand as "family consent" must be interpreted as a relational process. One of the key issues is what is known as "doing the will of God" as understood in first century Palestine. This paper attempts to compare this, enlightened by contemporary Feminist theology, with its understanding of relationships rather than what was often comprehended merely as an experience of self-determination and justification. The writer argues for the understanding of "doing God's will" in a relational context, with "friendship" as a mutually supportive, life-affirming, nurturing and egalitarian relationship. Consensus formation regarding organ transplant needs to have this relational understanding to be publicly and ethically viable.
