Reformulation of the Legal Relationship in Corneal Donation Between Donors and the Indonesian Eye Bank Through a Bilateral Agreement

Nuril Hikam Efendi (Roudlotut Tholibin College of Islamic Studies Probolinggo)

Rechtenstudent Journal
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026): Rechtenstudent August 2026

Corneal donation in Indonesia is currently carried out based on a written declaration as stipulated in Article 42 paragraph (1) letter (a) of Government Regulation Number 53 of 2021, which requires prospective donors to submit a written declaration expressing their voluntary willingness to donate their corneal tissue without receiving any compensation. This condition gives rise to legal issues because a written declaration constitutes a unilateral legal relationship, thereby creating an imbalance in the legal relationship between the parties. Such a written declaration fails to establish equality of legal standing between the donor and the Indonesian Eye Bank and does not regulate the respective legal responsibilities of each party. Accordingly, this study addresses two research problems. First, why has the legal relationship governing corneal donation based on a written declaration, as stipulated in Article 42 paragraph (1) letter (a) of Government Regulation Number 53 of 2021, failed to establish a balanced legal relationship between donors and the Indonesian Eye Bank? Second, how should the legal relationship governing corneal donation between donors and the Indonesian Eye Bank be reformulated through a bilateral agreement based on the Principle of Balance in Legal Relationships? This research employs a normative juridical method using statutory and conceptual approaches, with legal materials analyzed through a prescriptive method. The findings demonstrate that a legal relationship established solely through a written declaration creates a unilateral legal relationship that fails to satisfy the Principle of Balance in Legal Relationships because it is not founded upon mutual consent, does not regulate the parties' rights and obligations proportionately, and does not provide balanced legal protection. This study proposes a reformulation of the legal relationship governing corneal donation through a bilateral agreement that regulates mutual consent, rights and obligations, legal responsibilities, withdrawal of consent, and dispute resolution as legal instruments to ensure legal certainty, justice, and legal expediency for both donors and the Indonesian Eye Bank. Keywords: donation, cornea, donor, indonesian eye bank.   Pendonoran kornea mata di Indonesia saat ini dilaksanakan berdasarkan pernyataan tertulis sebagaimana diatur dalam Pasal 42 ayat (1) huruf a PP 53/2021 yang mensyaratkan calon pendonor membuat pernyataan tertulis mengenai kesediaan menyumbangkan jaringan kornea mata secara sukarela tanpa meminta imbalan. Kondisi tersebut menimbulkan permasalahan, Penyataan tertulis  merupakan hubungan hukum satu pihak, hal ini menimbulkan ketidak keseimbangan. Pernyataan tertulis belum membentuk keseimbangan kedudukan para pihak dan belum mengatur perihal tanggung jawab hukum masing-masing pihak. Adapun rumusan masalah yaitu pertama, mengapa konstruksi hubungan hukum pendonoran kornea mata yang didasarkan pada pernyataan tertulis sebagaimana diatur dalam Pasal 42 ayat (1) huruf a PP 53/2021 belum mampu mewujudkan keseimbangan hubungan hukum antara pendonor, kedua yaitu bagaimana reformulasi hubungan hukum pendonoran kornea mata antara pendonor dan Bank Mata Indonesia melalui perjanjian bilateral yang berbasis Prinsip Keseimbangan Hubungan Hukum. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian yuridis normatif dengan pendekatan perundang-undangan dan konseptual, yang dianalisis secara preskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hubungan hukum yang dibangun melalui pernyataan tertulis hanya melahirkan hubungan hukum yang bersifat sepihak sehingga tidak memenuhi prinsip keseimbangan hubungan hukum karena tidak didasarkan pada kesepakatan para pihak, tidak mengatur hak dan kewajiban secara proporsional, serta tidak memberikan perlindungan hukum yang seimbang. Penelitian ini mereformulasikan hubungan hukum pendonoran kornea mata melalui perjanjian bilateral yang mengatur kesepakatan, hak dan kewajiban, tanggung jawab hukum, mekanisme pencabutan persetujuan, dan penyelesaian sengketa sebagai instrumen untuk mewujudkan kepastian hukum, keadilan, dan kemanfaatan bagi pendonor maupun Bank Mata Indonesia. Kata Kunci: donor, kornea mata, pendonor, bank mata.