The Intermountain Donor Services researched and published the following information about many different religions religious views of organ donation:
While most religious questions, like many scriptures, rarely have easy answers, the question of organ donation is surprisingly simple for some. Pope John Paul II summed it up plainly when he said donation is “an act of great love, the love which gives life to others.”
Recently, the LDS Church updated their statement on organ donation by reflecting on the life-saving nature of organ and tissue donation.
The new statement reads: “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 ones 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.”
The old statement read: “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.”
Most mainstream religions either support organ donation as an “act of charity” or leave each individual to decide for himself or herself. While some lay members have worried about desecrating the body before burial, these concerns are alleviated when they learn that donation allows for open casket funerals and will not delay funeral arrangements. Also, there are no costs to donor families for donation.
Indeed, one donor can save up to nine lives through organ donation and enhance the lives of 50 peopple through tissue donation. These are saintly statistics when one considers that 18 people die each day waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, amounting to 6.500 unnecessary deaths each year.
What does your religion believe about organ and tissue donation? The United Network for Organ Sharing comiled the following list.
Baptists: Donation is a compassionate and personal choice.
Buddhism: Donation is a matter of individual conscience, but they place high value on acts of compassion.
Catholicism: Donation is an act of charity and love.
Christian Science: Donation is an individual decision.
Episcopal: Donating blood, organs and tissues emulates Christ’s sacrifice for mankind.
Hinduism: Donation is an individual decision.
Islam: Donation fulfills the priority of saving human life.
Jehovah’s Witness: Donation is an individual decision, but all blood must be removed before a transplant.
Judaism: The four major branches encourage donation, though donation is extremely low in Israel.
Lutheran: Donation contributes to the well being of humanity.
LDS: Donation is a selfless act to be considered on an individual basis.
Pentecostal: Donation is a personal choice.
Presbyterian: Donation is supported and encouraged.
Quakers: Donation is an individual decision.
Seventh-Day Adventist: Donation is strongly encouraged.
Shinto: This Japanese religion expresses concern about “injuring”a dead body.
Unitarian Universalist: Donation is an act of love.
United Church of Christ: Donation is strongly encouraged.
United Methodist: Donation is encouraged to save lives.
For information about organ, eye and tissue donation, visit the Utah or Idaho Donor Registry at http://www.yesutah.org/ or http://www.yesidaho.org/ or call 1-866-YES-UTAH or 1-866-YES-IDAHO.
