What Is God’s Will Regarding Human Organ Transplants?

Introduction

A question has been received regarding organ transplants. Probably every one of us will be faced with this question, either when obtaining our driver’s license for the first time or when renewing it. In formulating an answer to this question I have made use of several contributions from Dr. Thomas Blok, as well as the guidance provided by Dr. Douma’s book, Rondom de dood, and various other articles.

Definition

What do we mean by the donation of our organs? Simply defined, this term refers to the transfer of an organ or tissue from our body to another person’s body. The purpose for this transplantation is to replace a non-functioning or malfunctioning organ or tissue. This can take place either during our life (kidney, skin, or bone marrow) or at the moment of our death.

It is only in the last 130 years that it has medically become possible to transplant organs. Back in 1887 the first cornea transplant took place, which restored the lost eyesight of the recipient. Around 1900 Karl Landsteiner discovered the various blood types, which opened the possibility of “blood-transplants,” commonly referred to as “blood transfusions.” Since the 1960s, medical technology has been developed to transplant a wide variety of organs, such as the kidney, liver, heart, lungs, bone marrow, and skin.

It is conceivable that in the future new advances will be made in the transplantation of various body parts to replace ailing organs or to fight diseases (think of bone marrow transplants to fight leukemia).

Right or Wrong?

The easiest way to decide whether something is right or wrong is to search our Bibles for any explicit direction. There is, however, no direct biblical answer which deals with this question. Hence, we need to examine principles, motives, means, and purposes connected to this issue in order to determine whether we may donate or receive organs, tissue, and blood.

Thou Shalt Not Steal

The eighth commandment in its positive (commanding) aspect could be read as “Thou shalt give (donate).” According to our Heidelberg Catechism, Question 111, the fulfillment of this command is partially “that I promote the advantage of my neighbor in every instance I can or may, and deal with him as I desire to be dealt with by others.”

It seems quite clear that donating one’s organs (either during life or after one’s life has ended) to an ailing, suffering, or otherwise dying neighbor would fall within the “every instance I can”! So far we can easily agree. It is more complicated to further define the phrase “every instance I may.” We hope it is obvious to all of us that not everything which can be done necessarily may be done. What limits are set by this may?

Limits

One limit is clearly set by the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” Donating which would (1) lead directly or indirectly to one’s death, or (2) hurt oneself, or (3) willfully expose oneself to danger are “off-limits” according to God’s Word (see the Heidelberg Catechism, Question 105).

Let’s assume I decide to give my heart so my child can survive and live comfortably for many more years. I might be called “heroic” in this world, but nonetheless I am taking “my life into my own hands.” The Bible teaches us that the beginning and ending of our life are in the hands of a sovereign God: “Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12: 9-10; see also Acts 17:25, 28).1 But giving a kidney, for example, in the service of a neighbor (not even necessarily my child) who otherwise would have to be on dialysis several times a week for the rest of his life, does not seem to be an act of recklessness, even though some risk is involved in having the organ removed and possibly by having to live with only one kidney.

This element of indirect suicide, of hurting oneself, or of bringing oneself into unneeded danger falls away entirely when we deal with the donation of body parts after life has ended. At that point there are no risks in removing the organs; there is no hurting oneself or willfully exposing oneself to dangers. The argument that one does “hurt” his body since he allows it to be mutilated is not convincing. The medical procedures to remove the organs in no wise change the outward appearance of the person involved and could hardly be called mutilation.

Another limit in donating our body organs is with regard to those organs which bear the stamp of our individuality or personality. Perhaps it will become possible to transplant reproductive organs or even (parts of) the brain. It seems intuitively clear to me that in such cases we no more must speak about the donation of certain impersonal body parts (or body members), but rather about the transfer to another person of something of our personal uniqueness which our Creator has given us.

Motive

Some say that donating parts of one’s body after his decease is “at least making an otherwise useless death beneficial to others. ’’That this is a purely unbiblical motive should be clear to all of us. Death is the wages of sin (Romans 6:23) and is even “useful” in the way that it declares that God is a just, holy, and a truthful God (Genesis 2:17).

If we make the decision to donate members of our body, the motive which should underlie our decision must always be the “glory of God” and “the welfare of our neighbor,” whether we give during or after our life. Never must we give organs to give some sense to our death, or to have people speak well of us, but it must be to promote the quality of life of our neighbor.

God calls us to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” In order to fully understand what that means, we must seek to place ourselves in their shoes, as the Holy Spirit exhorts us to “remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body” (Hebrews 13:3). For instance, being in the position of having to go the rest of one’s days in darkness, because of the deterioration of the eyes, will give one a different perspective on the donation of a cornea.

— to be continued —

1 With this statement I am not making a value judgment on those cases in which a parent or soldier places himself in danger of life in order to save or protect a child, a superior officer, or even a comrade. This issue of such “self-sacrifices” might need to be addressed separately from this subject.

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