Published in Medical Humanities: Art and Life

Keywords: Organ Donation, Sacredness of Human Life.

The practice of organ procurement for transplantation is deeply engrained in the consciousness of the public worldwide, and is endorsed by most religions including Christianity. With the advent of the life-saving successes of organ transplantation have come a number of ethical issues, including those concerning efforts to balance the needs of potential organ recipients with those of possible organ donors. In this paper, I endorse current organ procurement procedures; I then describe several changes to current practice that have been suggested. I contend that each of these proposed innovations creates an imbalance regarding the Christian tenet of the absolute sacredness of all persons.