Getting the Facts About Organ Donation After Death: Church Teachings and Medical Realities

Countless lives have been saved through vital organ transplantation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes organ donation after death as a “noble and meritorious act” (2296). At the same time, it highlights the dead donor rule and the need for explicit consent. There are concerns about proper informed consent when a person signs up at the Department of Motor Vehicles, has never discussed it with a medical professional, and is unaware of how it actually works. For example, people considering organ donation may not understand what “brain death” is, how it is determined in practice, and how this relates to Church teaching on vital organ donation. Moving forward, patients considering organ donation after death should understand the latest medical facts and relevant moral principles in order to make well-informed decisions.

Bio: Dr. John Di Camillo manages NCBC’s 24/7 free ethics consultation service and the Personal Consultations Fellows and Interns Program. He applies Catholic moral theology to science and medicine through research, writing, speaking, mentoring, and fielding hundreds of ethics questions every year. His areas of focus include cooperation with evil, sexual orientation and gender identity, brain death and organ donation, reproductive technologies, and pregnancy complications. He has teaching experience across multiple disciplines, including Italian, Church history, science, philosophy, biomedical ethics, and moral theology.

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