Can I donate my organs?

Roman Catholic teaching encourages organ donation under certain strict criteria . . .

Since the time of Pope Pius XII (1939-1957), the Church has explicitly taught that both inter vivos and postmortem (cadaver) transplants are licit, based upon the principle of fraternal charity, but only when certain requirements are met.

In every instance, inter vivos transplants raise serious ethical and moral questions. Because these donations require a transplant from one living person to another, a moral dilemma involving the principle of totality arises. According to this principle, the parts of the body are ordered to the good of that specific body. Based upon the law of fraternal charity, one may intend to sacrifice an organ for the sake of another, but one is also responsible for the integrity of one’s own body. Therefore, the principle of totality sets limits on inter vivos donations. Otherwise, inter vivos transplants could lead to suicide or euthanasia.

For a postmortem donation to be morally acceptable, three conditions must be met: The donor must be verifiably dead, proper informed consent must have been given by the deceased donor with verification from a trustworthy source, and the donor’s remains must be treated with the utmost respect.

However, powerful medical organizations that advocate organ donation don’t always support moral positions. In 1988, the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs of the American Medical Association concluded that it is “ethically acceptable” to use organs from anencephalic infants [those missing portions of the brain and skull] only after they have died. In 1994, the Council reversed its position, saying it’s acceptable to transplant organs of anencephalic infants even before they die, which they usually do shortly after delivery. The group argued that if an infant is deformed and lacks almost all brain tissue, he is only doubtfully human. Thankfully, in 1995 the Council returned to the 1988 guideline. However, the 1994 position shows a willingness to accept a utilitarian definition of life.

A culture that chooses which of its members is worthy of life is playing God. To make such a choice implies that individuals have value only insofar as their life is useful to the whole society. When an individual’s life is no longer considered useful, then only his body parts — and not the person as a whole — have value. If this thinking continues to spread, it’s only a matter of time until the nation embraces euthanasia and assisted suicide.

In order to promote the Gospel of Life for all, organ donors have a grave responsibility to practice and promote the moral teachings of the Church.

Reprinted with permission from “Faith Facts: Answers to Catholic Questions, Volume 2,” co-edited by Leon J. Suprenant Jr. and Philip C. L. Gray (Emmaus Road Publishing, 2004).