February 2001

The Catholic Organization for Life and Family and the Catholic Health Association of Canada (CHAC), taking their title directly from the words of Pope John Paul II, outline the reasons why the Church supports organ donation and transplantation and to explain the ethical considerations to be respected.

Pope John Paul II, speaking at the 18th International Congress of the Transplantation Society in August 2000, described the gift of an organ as a noble gesture “which is a genuine act of love. It is not just a matter of giving something that belongs to us but of giving something of ourselves.”

The leaflet also examines the issues of xenotransplantation (the use of animal organs) and the cloning of human embryos. In the case of human embryos, both COLF and CHAC vigorously insist on Catholic teaching that states “the embryo is a human being and must be treated as a person.”

The leaflet encourages people to talk to their family and friends about decisions to donate organs and tissues. It goes on to say that the decision to donate belongs to each individual and that “organ donation is not an obligation: it is an act of self-giving. It is a decision made freely, based on knowledge, clarity of mind and concern for the needs of others.”