The "dead-donor rule" refers to two widely accepted ethical norms that govern practices of organ procurement for transplantation: (1) vital organs should be taken only from dead patients, and (2) living patients should not be killed for or by organ procurement. These norms are subsumed under the Ethical and Religious Directives, n. 30. It generally is assumed that a violation of these ethical norms would constitute euthanasia, violate state laws, and therefore have legal consequences. (See also, UDDA and NHBD.) [Source: Youngner, SJ and Arnold, RM, "Ethical, Psychological, and Public Policy Implications of Procuring Organs from Non-Heart-Beating Cadaver Donors," JAMA 269 (1993): 2769-74.]
