Gifts of Donation

Organ Allocation


Transplant Process


Brain Death

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Religious Beliefs

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EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH
TRANSPLANTATION: Encouraged.
DONATION: Encouraged.
DISCUSSION:

A resolution passed at the Annual Meeting in 1982 encouraged the members to "sign and carry Organ Donor Cards." The resolution also recommended "that it become a policy with our pastors, teachers, and counselors to encourage awareness of organ donation in all our congregations."


GREEK ORTHODOX
TRANSPLANTATION: The Church has no objection to the use of therapeutic agents, vaccinations, blood transfusions and medical procedures that contribute to the restoration of the health and well-being of the patient.
DONATION: Donation for transplantation is acceptable. A decision to donate one's body for medical experimentation or research is not consistent with traditional Orthodox practice and belief.
DISCUSSION:

According to Reverend Dr. Milton Efthimiou, Director of the Department of Church and Society for the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America, "The Greek Orthodox Church is not opposed to organ donation as long as the organs and tissue in questions are used to better human life, i.e., for transplantation or for research that will lead to improvements in the treatment and prevention of disease."


GYPSIES
TRANSPLANTATION: Generally opposed.
DONATION: Generally opposed.
DISCUSSION:

Gypsies are a people of different ethnic groups without a formalized religion. Although they have no formal resolution, they tend to be opposed to organ donation. Their opposition is connected with their beliefs about the afterlife. Traditional belief contends that for one year after death the person's soul retraces its steps. Thus, the body must remain intact because the soul maintains its physical shape. According to Matt Salo, a research fellow at the Smithsonian Institute who specializes in gypsy studies, "The gypsies, a set of ethnic groups with a common historical origin, do not have an exclusive religion, but share common folk beliefs which include the sanctity of a deceased person's body."


HINDUISM
TRANSPLANTATION: Individual decision.
DONATION: Individual decision.
DISCUSSION:

According to the Hindu Temple Society of North America, Hindus are not prohibited by religious law from donating their organs. This act is an individual's decision. H. L. Trivedi, in Transplantation Proceedings, stated that, "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."


INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE EVANGELICAL
TRANSPLANTATION: Individual decision.
DONATION: Individual decision.
DISCUSSION:

Generally, Evangelicals have no opposition to organ and tissue donation. Each church is autonomous and leaves the decision to donate up to the individual.

Sources: Organ & Tissue Donation: A Reference Guide for Clergy, (SEOPF & UNOS); New York Regional Transplant Program, Inc.; American Council on Transplantation; National Kidney Foundation; the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network; the Pennsylvania Medical Medical Society.

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