When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it (again) until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. -The 5th Luminous Mystery

EWTN.com - Organ Donation

EWTN.com - Organ Donation: "Organ Donation
Question from Tom Schmid on 9/16/2008:

I realize that this question has been touched on before, please forgive me but I still am somewhat puz zled. I am currently a blood donor. I am considering becoming an organ donor as well. However, I have heard horror stories of medical facilities harvesting organs for a recipient before the donor has expired. If I donate my organs, am I furthering the cause for the culture of life or am I providing the means for furthering the cause for the culture of death? In essense, which avenue would be more in line with Catholic teaching?
Answer by Judie Brown on 9/16/2008:

Tom

The important thing to know is that as the Church teaches, there is something charitable about donating organs, but that the process of taking those organs can never CAUSE the death of the donor.

There is a very interesting article about this on line and you may want to read it. The article, 'Organ donation: the grim harvest' by Paul Byrne, M.D. is at http://www.clmagazine.org/backissues/2008JA_byrne.pdf

You will find a 'life support directive' with the article.

Judie Brown"

1 comment:

  1. UnknownSeptember 28, 2008

    If you're willing to accept an organ transplant should you need one, you should sign up to be a donor.

    Over half of the 99,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. Over 6,000 of our neighbors suffer and die needlessly every year as a result.

    There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage -- give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

    Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.

    Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.

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