Organ donation is supported by the larger religious denominations in the United States, according to a new guide published by the United Network for Organ Sharing and the South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation.
The guide, Organ and Tissue Donation: A Reference Guide for Clergy, contains statements supporting organ donation and transplantation from 26 religions in the U.S., including Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, and various Protestant denominations. It also contains sample sermons for several religious denominations, Biblical principles supporting donation, and suggested hymns.
The guide "is designed to give clergy members a solid understanding of the organ donation and transplantation process so they can better assist at the time of greatest need," UNOS said in a statement.
The guide also was published to let people know organ donation is acceptable to their religion. "One of the reasons often given for not donating organs or tissues is the mistaken belief that donation is against the person's religion," said UNOS president William W. Pfaff.
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