Article 2 of the Saudi Organ Donation Law

This article sets out the general rule of the law: a person may donate any of his organs, or bequeath its donation. Under Article 1, a person is a human being of full legal capacity who is over 18, so this permission does not apply to a minor.

The article mentions two forms:

• Donation: the person authorizes the transfer of an organ from him, which includes donation during life.
• Bequest of donation: authorizing the transfer of his organs after his death, which Article 1 defines as an authorization without consideration.

The text limits this permission with three conditions:

1. The donation must be in accordance with the provisions of the law, including the prohibited cases and transfer procedures set out in other articles.
2. It must not conflict with the provisions of Islamic Sharia.
3. It must be made in writing and documented as the Implementing Regulations specify. Oral consent is not enough, and the details of documentation are left to the regulations.

This article is linked to Article 3, which deals with transferring organs from a deceased person in cases other than these two, meaning where he did not donate or bequeath. In that case the transfer is permitted with the consent of the nearest heir or the relatives, under the controls of the regulations.