<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Aim.</bold> The aim of this paper is to present the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the brain death and the human organ transplantation.<bold>Material and methodology.</bold> The analysis of the official documents of the Holy See as well as the teaching and speeches of popes was made.<bold>Results and Conclusions.</bold> The Catholic Church supports transplants from deceased persons and considers donating their organs after death for transplantation as the gift of the greatest love. However, it is not unconditional acceptance. The most important conditions are: the patient’s informed consent for organ donation and a precise statement of the death of the donor. The currently used definition of brain death has been declared by the Church not only as sufficient but also as definitive criterion of the death of a man. In Christian ethics, this criterion allows an ethical judgment, which is called as moral certainty and provides the basis for an ethically proper action. It is also stressed that the donation of organs for transplantation must be altruistic. It is unacceptable to expect and to receive any payment for such an act.</abstract>

Aim. The aim of this paper is to present the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the brain death and the human organ transplantation.Material and methodology. The analysis of the official documents of the Holy See as well as the teaching and speeches of popes was made.Results and Conclusions. The Catholic Church supports transplants from deceased persons and considers donating their organs after death for transplantation as the gift of the greatest love. However, it is not unconditional acceptance. The most important conditions are: the patient’s informed consent for organ donation and a precise statement of the death of the donor. The currently used definition of brain death has been declared by the Church not only as sufficient but also as definitive criterion of the death of a man. In Christian ethics, this criterion allows an ethical judgment, which is called as moral certainty and provides the basis for an ethically proper action. It is also stressed that the donation of organs for transplantation must be altruistic. It is unacceptable to expect and to receive any payment for such an act.

The brain death definition and human organs transplantation in the light of the Catholic Church teaching

Niepubliczny Zakład Opieki Zdrowotnej „Machów” Sp. z o. o. Tarnobrzeg

Katedra Rozwoju Pielęgniarstwa, Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie

Pielegniarstwo  XXI wieku / Nursing in the 21st Century

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Aim. The aim of this paper is to present the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the brain death and the human organ transplantation.Material and...

The brain death definition and human organs transplantation in the light of the Catholic Church teaching

Published Online: May 09, 2016

Page range: 55 - 59

Received: Oct 04, 2015

Accepted: Nov 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pielxxiw-2016-0009

Keywords
the brain death, human organs transplantation, Catholic Church teaching

© 2016 Joanna Dudzińska et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The brain death definition and human organs transplantation in the light of the Catholic Church teaching

Published Online: May 09, 2016

Page range: 55 - 59

Received: Oct 04, 2015

Accepted: Nov 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pielxxiw-2016-0009

Keywordsthe brain death, human organs transplantation, Catholic Church teaching

© 2016 Joanna Dudzińska et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
the brain death, human organs transplantation, Catholic Church teaching