News Brief21:05 PM

(IsraelNN.com) The Knesset passed two laws aimed at encouraging organ donation on Monday.  The first law, proposed by MK Aryeh Eldad (NU/NRP), will provide live organ donors with NIS 18,000 compensation for their time and for days missed from work due to surgery and recuperation.  The law will also provide NIS 5 million per year to educate the public about organ donation.

The second law, which was proposed by MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima), would establish committees including doctors, rabbis, and ethicists to determine the moment of death that would allow for organ donation.  The law aims to find a solution that will allow religious Jews to donate organs after death without concern that organs could be taken after brain death, but before death occurs according to Jewish law.