The Gift Of Life

FR STEPHEN FERNANDES





God is the author of life and life is God's gift to us. Hence, we need to protect, preserve and promote the gift of human life. When organ transplantation is undertaken, the work of God becomes manifest through those who donate their organs. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), “Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity .“ Hence, organ donation is not only an ethical act but it is to be encouraged. Pope St. John Paul II gave his support for organ donation, calling it a “genuine act of love.... a way of nurturing a genuine culture of life.“Pope Pius XII declared that based on the principle of brotherly love -called fraternal charity -both living and cadaver donations are acceptable to the Catholic Church.He underscored the point that the donor is making a sacrifice of himself for the good of another person.
Do you wish to pledge your organs? Then just go ahead and do so, for you should have no fear in performing such a charitable and heroic act.According to the CCC, organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient. Further, “Autopsies can be morally permitted for legal inquests or scientific research. The free gift of organs after death is legitimate and can be meritorious.“