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question that arises when people are considering organ and tissue
donation is, "Does my religion approve of organ donation
and transplantation?" Surveys find that few individuals
are aware of their own religion's doctrines regarding organ
and tissue donation. In fact, most major religions encourage
organ and tissue donation, and many of them at the very least
allow their followers to make a personal decision in this regard. |
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We hope that this list will shed some
light on organ and tissue donation issues as it relates to
your own religion. In addition, you may wish to contact your
clergyperson for more information.
Also remember, that in November, we celebrate
National Donor Sabbath
This is the perfect time of the year, before the holidays, to encourage
discussion about donation in your own house of worship.
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AME (African
Methodist Episcopal) and AME Zion (African Methodist Episcopal
Zion)
Organ and tissue donation is viewed
as an act of neighborly love and charity by these denominations.
They encourage all members to support donation as a way
of helping others. |
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Amish
The Amish will consent to transplantation
if it is believed to further the well being of the transplant
recipient.
John Hostetler, world-renowned authority
on Amish religion and professor of anthropology at Temple
University in Philadelphia, states that the Amish believe
that, since God created the human body, it is God who
heals. However, nothing in the Amish understanding of
the Bible forbids them from using modern medical services,
including surgery, hospitalization, dental work, anesthesia,
blood transfusions or immunization.
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Assembly of God
While the church has no official policy
on organ and tissue donation, the denomination has been
highly supportive of donation in the past. However, the
decision to donate is left to each individual. |
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Baha'i Faith
The Baha'i Faith considers organ and tissue donation
a noble thing to do. Provisions must be made to treat the donor’s body
with dignity and to bury the remains within one hour’s travel time
(from the hospital to the funeral home). The decision to be a recipient
of organ or tissue donation is left up to the individual, in consultation
with a competent physician. |
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Baptist
Donation is supported as an act of
charity, and the church leaves the decision to donate
up to the individual. |
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Brethren
The church of the Brethren's Annual
Conference in 1993 developed a resolution on organ and
tissue donation supporting and encouraging donation. They
wrote,
"We have the opportunity to help others out of love
for Christ, through the donation of organs and tissues." |
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Buddhism
Buddhists believe that organ and tissue
is a matter of individual conscience and place high value
on acts of compassion. Reverend Gyomay, President and
Founder of the Buddhist Temple of Chicago says, "We
honor those people who donate their bodies and organs
to the advancement of medical science and to saving lives." The importance of letting loved ones know their wishes
is stressed. Many families will not give permission to
donate unless they know their loved one wanted to be a
donor.
Buddhists believe that organ and tissue is a matter of individual conscience and place high value on acts of compassion. Reverend Gyomay, President and Founder of the Buddhist Temple of Chicago says, "We honor those people who donate their bodies and organs to the advancement of medical science and to saving lives." The importance of letting loved ones know their wishes is stressed. Many families will not give permission to donate unless they know their loved one wanted to be a donor.
In an interview specially obtained for the New York Organ Donor Network in its Spring/Summer 2005 issue of ON THE BEAT, Prof. Robert Thurman stated: “The gift of the body is a very great benefit and a boon, like what you'd call a karmic boon, a karmic advantage to a person.” Prof. Thurman is chair of religious studies and Jey Tsong Khapa professor of Buddhist studies at Columbia University in New York City ; president of Tibet House; and a former Tibetan Buddhist monk. To read the interview with Prof. Thurman, click here. |
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Catholicism
Catholics view organ/tissue donation
as an act of charity and love. Transplants are morally
and ethically acceptable to the Vatican. For more information
and free brochures, click here.
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In 1956, Pope Pius XII declared that:
"A person may will to dispose of his body and to destine it to ends that are useful, morally irreproachable and even noble, among them the desire to aid the sick and suffering...this decision should not be condemned but positively justified." |
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In August 2000, Pope John Paul II told attendees at the International Congress on Transplants in Rome :
"Transplants are a great step forward in science's service of man, and not a few people today owe their lives to an organ transplant. Increasingly, the technique of transplants has proven to be a valid means of attaining the primary goal of all medicine - the service of human life……There is a need to instill in people's hearts, especially in the hearts of the young, a genuine and deep appreciation of the need for brotherly love, a love that can find expression in the decision to become an organ donor." |
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In the Summer/Fall 2001 issue of On
the Beat, a publication of the New York
Organ Donor Network, His Eminence
Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York,
wrote that, in thinking about the glorious gift
of life God has given each of us, one of the greatest
ways an individual can honor that gift is being
an organ donor. Click
here for full article
In His Encyclical letter, Evangelium
Vitae (On the Value and Inviolability of Human
Life), His Holiness, Pope John Paul II speaks
of society's fascination with a "culture
of death." He calls on Catholics and people
of good faith everywhere to move from that culture
towards a celebration and reflection of the glory
of God in a "culture of life."
When asked to share my thoughts on the importance
of organ donation for this publication, it was
Evangelium Vitae that
immediately came to mind. In thinking about the
glorious gift of life God has given each of us,
it would seem that one of the greatest ways an
individual can honor that gift is by making a
conscious decision to be an organ donor - a decision
that enables another's life to continue - and
in a very real and tangible way promotes "a
culture of life."
Organ donation is, as His Holiness has stated,
"a genuine act of love." The commitment
of one person to give the gift of life to another
person mirrors an essential foundation upon which
the teachings of Christ and the theology of our
Church are based. As Saint John tells us, "For
God so loved the world, that he gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him,
should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16) By knowingly choosing the donations
of one's bodily organs, one is acting as Christ
would act - giving life to humanity.
The Catholic Church views organ donation as an
act of charity. The Ethical
and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care
Services, a set of principles that guide
the healing mission of the Church, clearly explains
the permissibility of organ donations. In Directive
No. 30, we read "The transplantation
of organs from living donors is morally permissible
when such a donation will not sacrifice or seriously
impair any essential bodily function and the anticipated
benefit to the recipient is proportionate to the
harm to the donor…" Similarly, Directives
No. 63-66, treat organ donation as follows:
Directive No. 63:
"Catholic health care institutions should
encourage and provide the means whereby those
who wish to do so may arrange for the donation
of their organs and bodily tissue, for ethically
legitimate purposes, so that they may be used
for donation and research after death." Directive
No. 64: "Such organs should not be
removed until it has been medically determined
that the patient has died. In order to prevent
any conflict of interest, the physician who determines
death should not be a member of the transplant
team."
The donation of organs in a morally acceptable
manner, at the end of life, offers the gifts of
health and life to those who are most vulnerable
and who are at times without hope. It is one of
the many pro-life positions an individual can
choose in order to foster a culture that values
life in our world.
As to what criteria constitute a "morally
acceptable manner," it is essential that
organ transplantation occur in the context of
love and respect for the dignity of the human
person. There are, of course, parameters in determining
when and how organs should be donated. It is the
Church's position that transplanted organs never
be offered for sale. They are to be given as a
gift of love. Any procedure that commercializes
or considers organs as items for exchange or trade
is morally unacceptable. The decision as to who
should have priority in regards to organ transplantation
must be based solely
on medical factors and not on such considerations
as age, sex, religion, social standing or other
similar standards.
In addition, it is of the utmost importance that
informed consent by the donor and/or donor's legitimate
representatives be had and that vital organs,
those that occur singly in the body, are removed
only after certain death (the complete and irreversible
cessation of all brain activity) has occurred.
As Pope John Paul II observes in Evangelium
Vitae "There is an everyday heroism, made
up of gestures and sharing, big or small, which
build up an authentic culture of life. A particularly
praiseworthy example of such gestures is the donation
of organs in a morally acceptable manner."
It is for the betterment of humanity, for the
love of one's fellow human beings, that organ
donation is undertaken. One of the most powerful
ways for individuals to demonstrate love for their
neighbor is by making an informed decision to
be an organ donor.
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Order free copies
of the New York Organ Donor Network Catholic brochure:
communications@nyodn.org
or phone 1-800-GIFT-4-NY.
Click
here for PDF version of the New York Organ Donor
Network's Catholic brochure. |
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Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ)
The Christian Church encourages organ
and tissue donation, stating that individuals were created
for God's glory and for sharing of God's love. A 1985
resolution, adopted by the general assembly, encourages
"… members of the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) to enroll as organ donors and prayerfully support
those who have received an organ transplant." |
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Christian Science
The Church of Christ Scientist does
not have a specific position regarding organ and tissue
donation. The question of organ and tissue donation is
an individual decision. According to the First Church
of Christ Science in Boston, Christ Scientists normally
rely on spiritual means of healing instead of medical.
They are free, however, to choose whatever form of medical
treatment they desire-including a transplant. |
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Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
The donation of organs and tissues is a selfless act that often
results in great benefit to individuals with medical conditions. The decision to
will or donate one's own body organs or tissue for medical purposes, or the decision
to authorize the transplant of organs or tissue from a deceased family member, is
made by the individual or the deceased member's family. The decision to receive
a donated organ should be made after receiving competent medical counsel and
confirmation through prayer. |
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Church of the Nazarene |
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The Church encourages members
who do not object personally to support donor and recipient
anatomical gifts through living wills and trusts. Further,
the Church appeals for morally and ethically fair distribution
of organs to those qualified to receive then (Manual,
Church of the Nazarene 1997 - 2001, paragraph 904.2). |
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Episcopal
The Episcopal Church passed a resolution
in 1982 that recognizes the life-giving benefits of organ,
blood, and tissue donation. All Christians are encouraged
to become organ, blood and tissue donors "as part
of their ministry to others in the name of Christ, who
gave his life that we may have life in its fullness."
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Evangelical Covenant
Church
A resolution passed at the Annual Meeting
in 1982 encouraged members to "sign and carry Organ
Donor Cards." The resolution also recommended "that
it becomes a policy with our pastors, teachers, and counselors
to encourage awareness of organ donation in all our congregations." |
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Gypsies (Roma)
Gypsies are a people of different ethnic
groups without a formalized religion. They share common
folk beliefs and tend to be opposed to organ and tissue
donation. Their opposition is connected with their beliefs
about the afterlife. Traditional belief contends that
for one year after death, the soul retraces its steps.
Thus, the body must remain intact because the soul maintains
its physical shape. |
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Hinduism
According to the Hindu Temple Society
of North and South America, Hindus are not prohibited
from donation as confirmed by religious laws. This act
is an individual's decision. H. L. Trivedi, in Transplant
Proceedings, stated, " Hindu mythology has stories
in which the parts of the human body are used for the
benefit of other humans and society. There is nothing
in the Hindu religion indicating that parts of humans,
dead or alive, cannot be used to alleviate the suffering
of other humans." |
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Jehovah's
Witness
Jehovah Witnesses believe donation
is a matter of individual decision. However, restrictions
apply pertaining to blood transfusion. According to the
National Headquarters, the Watch Tower Society, Jehovah
Witnesses are often presumed to be opposed to donation
because of their belief against blood transfusion. However,
this merely means that all blood must be removed from
the organs and tissues before being transplanted. In addition,
it would not be acceptable for an organ donor to receive
blood as part of the organ recovery process. |
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Judaism
All four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist) support and encourage donation. For more information and free brochures, click here.
Order free copies of the Reform
Judaism Brochure on Organ and Tissue Donation,
published by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations
Department of Jewish Family Concerns, co-sponsored by
Women of Reform Judaism. communications@nyodn.org
or phone 1-800-GIFT-4-NY.
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Lutheran
In 1984, the Lutheran Church in America
(Missouri -Synod) passed a resolution stating that donation
contributes to the well-being of humanity and can be "an
expression of sacrificial love for a neighbor in need."
They call on "members to consider donating organs
and to make any necessary family and legal arrangements,
including the use of a signed donor card." |
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