VATICAN CITY, (LifeSiteNews) — The Pontifical Academy for Life has published a document saying that Catholics may receive organs transplanted from animals, primarily pigs and cows.
According to Reuters, the 88-page document providing ethical guidelines for animal-to-human transplants reaffirmed earlier guidance which said the Church has no objections to the treatments, as long as they “follow best medical practices and do not treat animals with cruelty.”
The academy’s updated version of “Perspectives on Xenotransplantation – Scientific Aspects and Ethical Considerations” deals with the transfer of cells, tissues, or organs between different species.
“Catholic theology does not have preclusions, on a religious or ritual basis, in using any animal as a source of organs, tissues or cells for transplantation to human beings,” states the document.
“The document also addresses concerns about possible hybrids between species, assuring that xenotransplants do not alter the genetic or biological identity of the recipient,” explains an InfoVaticana report. “From this perspective, the use of animal organs – including those from genetically modified pigs – does not pose a threat to the patient’s personal or spiritual identity.”
As the 21st century began, the fledgling medical-transplantation industry lamented that there was an “ongoing shortage of donor organs for transplantation into humans,” according to a 2005 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Dr. Emanuele Cozzi, the head of Immunology at the University of Padua, explained during a Tuesday press conference announcing the document’s publication that in the U.S. alone, 13 people per day die while waiting for organ transplants and that there are more than 100,000 people on waiting lists.
That difference between supply and demand is driving the increased interest in harvesting organs from animals as perhaps the best way for the medical-transplantation industry to continue to grow.
