25 Year Old Blogs About Her Death

[Totus Tuus]

OK! I found what I was talking about! Sorry for the confusion

From the Catechism:
[quote]2296 [b]Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law[/b] if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good sought for the recipient. Organ donation [b]after death[/b] is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as a expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, [b]it is not morally admissible to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.[/b][/quote]

I was wrong in implying that ALL organ donation is wrong; however, donation of the [b]heart or brain[/b] violates the last part of the mandate that death not be brought about for the transplant. Heart and brain have to be taken immediately, necessitating the killing of the patients, which as I said is justified by the fact that many of them are terminally ill or in critical condition.

However, there's a greater window of time for other organs, so you can be really dead when you donate those and it's fine!

Hope this answers your objection, Lilllabettt, and clarifies my point

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' date='06 May 2010 - 02:14 PM' timestamp='1273173289' post='2105952']
OK! I found what I was talking about! Sorry for the confusion

From the Catechism:


I was wrong in implying that ALL organ donation is wrong; however, donation of the [b]heart or brain[/b] violates the last part of the mandate that death not be brought about for the transplant. Heart and brain have to be taken immediately, necessitating the killing of the patients, which as I said is justified by the fact that many of them are terminally ill or in critical condition.

However, there's a greater window of time for other organs, so you can be really dead when you donate those and it's fine!

Hope this answers your objection, Lilllabettt, and clarifies my point
[/quote]
Are you positive that the heart becomes completely worthless if it's removed minutes after death, as opposed to minutes before?

[Maggyie]

Hearts can be removed from recently deceased people (that is, the heart has stopped beating on its own) and they can be kept on ice for four to six hours before successful transplant.

[Selah]

Has anyone else considered being an organ doner? I have to admit that this story inspired me to become one. Giving someone a second chance at living their life, it sounds incredible, miraculous even, to me.

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Maggie' date='06 May 2010 - 05:31 PM' timestamp='1273181462' post='2106006']
Hearts can be removed from recently deceased people (that is, the heart has stopped beating on its own) and they can be kept on ice for four to six hours before successful transplant.
[/quote]

Death is technically "brain death" which happens after the heart stops beating. The way brain death is checked is very haphazard and often incorrect.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' date='07 May 2010 - 02:12 PM' timestamp='1273259554' post='2106377']
Death is technically "brain death" which happens after the heart stops beating. The way brain death is checked is very haphazard and often incorrect.
[/quote]
After natural death, couldn't the heart in theory be kept beating entirely artificially?

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='07 May 2010 - 03:16 PM' timestamp='1273259809' post='2106379']
After natural death, couldn't the heart in theory be kept beating entirely artificially?
[/quote]

I don't know the answer to that. I have just taken a few bioethics classes and know for a fact that taking organs is OFTEN the result of doctor-imposed death, not natural death, for the sake of getting the organs. Fr. Howard told us that the way death is diagnosed neurologically is usually very haphazardly and they only check about 7 out of 14 brain functions (not sure if this is correct terminology) to see if the person is dead. However, alternate tests to check for brain death usually show that there is still brain activity in the same people who were pronounced dead via the more usual method.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' date='08 May 2010 - 11:10 PM' timestamp='1273378256' post='2107472']
I don't know the answer to that. I have just taken a few bioethics classes and know for a fact that taking organs is OFTEN the result of doctor-imposed death, not natural death, for the sake of getting the organs. Fr. Howard told us that the way death is diagnosed neurologically is usually very haphazardly and they only check about 7 out of 14 brain functions (not sure if this is correct terminology) to see if the person is dead. However, alternate tests to check for brain death usually show that there is still brain activity in the same people who were pronounced dead via the more usual method.
[/quote]
Nonetheless, even if it's often abused, we still do use brain death as criteria as Catholics. We obviously have to be pretty darn careful about it, but it doesn't seem to rule out donating of a viable heart.