# Organ Donation beliefs in different Religions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922 "2003-01-06T12:48:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/1 "2003-01-06T12:48:10Z")
I’ve been wondering about this for a long time. My mother once got very upset during a conversation we were having about organ donation, she told me that the Catholic Chuch was against it. She has a number of problems and I can’t really believe what she says. A JW once told me that she is against blood donation, but when asked about organ donation, I never got a straight answer. In real life, I don’t know anyone from any other religions. Is the Catholic church against it ? What about JWs, Buddists, Muslims, Jewish people and the other religions that I haven’t mentioned. If they are against it, why ? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/2 "2003-01-06T13:11:02Z")
[An Islamic opionion](http://www.islamonline.net/fatwaapplication/english/display.asp?hFatwaID=8665) - seems to have been hotly debated at times… I had had the opinion that they were against the concept, but it seems that I was (am) wrong. Here are the National Organ Donor Society’s list of the positions of various religious groups: [http://www.nods.org/religious.html](http://www.nods.org/religious.html) Grim ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/3 "2003-01-06T13:44:46Z")
The Catholic Church has no problems about organ donation. I believe that Orthodox Jews have some issues, but I’ll leave it up to a Jew to explain them. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/4 "2003-01-06T13:48:31Z")
**grimpixie** , I checked out your Organ Donor Society’s site, very much expecting that my religion, Baha’i, would not be listed. Surprise, surprise, it was! ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/5 "2003-01-06T14:10:17Z")
Judaism does not expressly forbid organ donation; in fact, they [encourage](http://www.uscj.org/scripts/uscj/paper/Article.asp?ArticleID=415) it. The link goes to a Conservative website, but Reform Judaism has taken the same position, and there was nothing I found that said Orthodox Judaism is against it. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/6 "2003-01-06T15:26:13Z")
This is a pretty informative site:[http://www.onelegacy.org/test/components/community/religiousviews.html#4](http://www.onelegacy.org/test/components/community/religiousviews.html#4) snip: Catholic Church: > [@](#): > > Donation is viewed as an act of charity and love. Transplants are morally and ethically acceptable. (Click here to view letter from Pope John Paul II.) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/7 "2003-01-06T20:52:22Z")
The Fundamentalist Beheaders, of course, are striving for head transplants… so far, unsuccessfully and at considerable cost in terms of numbers of adherents. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-donation-beliefs-in-different-religions/146922/8 "2003-01-06T21:06:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MsRobyn \* > \*\*there was nothing I found that said Orthodox Judaism is against it. > \*\* A major concern among Orthodox Jews with regard to organ donation is the possibility of removing needed organs from a donor before _halachic_ death has occured. As one is not allowed to murder someone to save his own life, there are serious complications that can arise from this. In addition, the major _poskim_ of the 70s and 80s were opposed to organ donation even if the organs were removed after _halachic_ death occured because the survival rate for heart transplants (and the like) were so low, it was almost akin to killing the recipient. Since that is no longer the case, this factor may no longer be relevant. In any event, I am neither a doctor, nor a rabbi. If you want to know what to do in such cases according to Orthodox Judaism, contact your local Orthodox rabbi. Zev Steinhardt