Q&A: Lower Priority for Smokers in the Organ Transplant Queue
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Lower Priority for Smokers in the Organ Transplant Queue
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Do you think it is right to give smokers lower priority in the queue for receiving organs for transplantation than people who need organ transplants for reasons they did not choose (such as genetic diseases)?
Best regards,
Answer
Assuming the medical condition is identical—that is, the severity of the illness and the chances of success are the same—then possibly yes.
Discussion on Answer
Obviously those are not all the cases, and even when there is a tendency, it usually isn't deterministic. A smoker has responsibility for his decisions.
A friend of mine argued that there are people whose genetics cause them to have a stronger tendency toward addictions. Assuming that's true, does that mean smoking should be regarded like a genetic disease?