Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 391.

YOUCAT Question n. 391 - Is organ donation important?

(Youcat answer) Donating organs can lengthen life or improve the quality of life, and therefore it is a genuine service to one’s neighbor, provided no one is forced to do it.   

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 2296) Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks incurred by the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as a manifestation of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or those who legitimately speak for him have not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible directly to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.   

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) It must be certain that the donor during his lifetime gave his free and deliberate consent and that he was not killed for the purpose of removing the organ(s). Donation by living donors is also possible, for example, in bone marrow transplants or in the donation of one kidney. Organ donation from a cadaver presupposes a certain determination of death and the consent of the donor during his lifetime or else of his representative.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 2318) "In [God's] hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:10). (CCC 2319) Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God.

(The next question is: What sorts of acts violate the human right to bodily integrity?)