Explain why Religious people may have problems with transplant surgery.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Katie Lane

Most Christians agree with transplant surgery however some are opposed to transplant surgery. They disagree with using organs from dead people but accept using organs as donated by living relatives. Jews have a similar view to Christians on this matter. Muslims however are totally opposed to it some Muslims do allow transplant surgery using organs from a living donor as long as the donor is a close relative. More Hindus are for transplant surgery than against and mainly will carry donor cards.

Christians that are opposed to transplant surgery believe that transplants can ignore the sanctity of life, God created us in his image so transplanting organs means you interfering with what God intended and therefore “playing God”. Organs cannot be paid for because this is exploiting the poor which is strictly forbidden in the Bible.

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The majority of Muslims are opposed to transplant surgery because the Muslim belief in the sanctity of life means that all life belongs to God and that God is the only on who has the right to take life. In the Qu’ran the Muslim holly book, it says that God has created the entire body so to take parts or organs from one body and transplant it into another is to act as God. To act as God is the greatest sin in Islam so you can see how the majority of transplant surgery is strictly forbidden. As well as this the Shari’ah another Muslim holly book teaches that after death nothing should be removed from the body. They are also totally opposed to post-mortems. Muslims have very specific death rituals this is why this is extremely important and therefore organs should not be removed from Muslims that have passed away. Due to Muslims being so opposed to transplant surgery they would also agree with any none religious arguments against transplants.

The few Jews, which are against transplant surgery, have similar reasons to Muslim beliefs. They also believe that we’ve God has created the entire body so to transplant organs is playing God. There particularly concerned that the transplants could some how affect people’s jewish-ness. Also, they believe that transplanting organs is breaking the Mitzvot on the sanctity of life.

The some Hindus which are opposed to transplant surgery have this attitude because they believe that transplants are trying to break the law of karma. If a person is suffering due to having kidney failure or a bad heart or anything that can receive any kind of surgery, transplant or not. This is because God intended it to be that way, due to the persons previous doings of bad deed’s and they should not try to avoid Gods will by having transplant surgery done to themselves. They also believe in something called ahimsa, and that transplant surgery is doing violence to the person in which the organ is taken from. Hindus are also really worried that poor people may be tempted to sell their organs, or maybe even go to extreme lengths to die, to provide money for the family to live off. They believe that it’s wrong to exploit the poor.