The Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore


A Gift of Life Posted on 11th Aug 2013, 6:48pm by Alvin

Today’s Sunday Times front-page article was certainly an eye-catcher. Nope, not referring to NDP (which was yesterday’s front page btw)..

liver donation

A really touching story of a total stranger’s kindness, and his life-giving gift of himself (literally) to another complete stranger. Truly, the donor Mr Tong deserves all our respect and admiration for his selflessness and charity.

How many of us would even consider giving a portion of our liver to someone who is not related to us? On a related note, have you ever wondered about the Catholic Church’s stand on organ donation?

This writer has never really explored the resources available on this website — perhaps this is a good time to explore our resources available on the website ;), and realized that our CMG website does have some useful links here!

  • this website reproduces Pope Benedict XVI’s public address at a congress on Organ Donation.

A quick google search threw up a few other interesting links:

  • this old article on the Singapore Catholic News, harks back to an event in 2007 when the organs of a dead patient was harvested according to local Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) law. It gives a succinct reply by The Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore on the issue of Organ Transplant, and reminds us of the sensitive nature of organ transplanting, especially from deceased donors.
  • this article from the Canandian Catholic Education Resource Centre, also briefly talks about organ transplant from live and deceased donors, quoting evidence from the Evangelium Vitae and the Cathechism of the Catholic Church.

Perhaps a quick summary might be in order (in case you’re too tired to plough through the above links). It would seem then that some of the key points would be

  1. Organ donation is a “unique testimony of charity”
  2. should only be done if it doesn’t put the donor’s own health at serious danger
  3. there must be free, proper, full and informed consent on the part of the live donor
  4. proper determination of death / brain death, in the case of a deceased donor

**********

Of course, there are also other forms of donations out there that can be life-giving, such as blood donation! In recent years, local parishes have been tying up with the blood bank to organize blood-donation drives at churches to boost the blood stores in Singapore. (Ref: CN article). Donors are important to help maintain the blood store supply in Singapore, which are needed by sick patients and emergency operations. So, remember to give them your support when the blood donation drive comes around!

 

* This blog article is not meant to be a full discussion and exposition on the viewpoint and ethics of Organ Transplantation. For more information, please seek advice from your local church services. *

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Dr's Blog

Dr’s Blog is a feature of the CMG web site that aims to encourage interaction between Guild members. We hope to foster a spirit of community through the sharing of thoughts and personal experirences. The opinions expressed in these blogs are entirely those of the contributors and not of the Catholic Medical Guild of Singapore.

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Past Blog Articles

2015 Jul: May You Rest in Peace
2015 Jan: Happy New Year 2015

2014 Dec: A Prayer for Deliverance 2
2014 Oct: Who are you, Where am I?
2014 Sep: A Prayer for Deliverance
2014 May: Behind Those Clothes
2014 Feb: The Red Packet(s)
2014 Jan: God Loves You

2013 Dec: Caroling Reflections of an Expired M
2013 Nov: Scripture Reflection for Physicians
2013 Oct: Hang on. We haven’t beat this thing yet.
2013 Sep: Me and My Ride
2013 Aug: A Gift of Life
2013 Jul: Finding Happiness in a Land of Plenty
2013 Jun: A Beeline
2013 May: Living My Love Of..
2013 Apr: The Healthcare Debate
2013 Mar: A Doctor’s Prayer
2013 Feb: Project Battambang ’12
2013 Feb: Mission Srolanth ’12: To Heal the Heart, with a Heart to Heal
2013 Jan: The Hardest Thing To Say…

2012 Dec: The Lost Art Of…
2012 Nov: Rome Sweet Home – Short Reflections
2012 Sep: He Keeps Falling
2012 Aug: God Decides
2012 July: Am I To Blame?
2012 June: Saving Fragile Lives
2012 May: Ruminations On Love
2012 Mar: The iPhone

2011 Dec: The Red Cross
2011 Nov: Give Thanks!
2011 Aug: Ashes – The Epilogue
2011 July: Charity
2011 July: Ashes
2011 May: Of Angry Birds & Cowardly Mice
2011 May: Notes From Salzburg On Good Friday
2011 Apr: What It Means
2011 Mar: A Job.
2011 Mar: Dear Father…
2011 Feb: Clothes, A Person Doth Maketh
2011 Jan: Wonderfully Made

2010 Dec: A White Christmas
2010 Dec: A Medical Christmas Carol
2010 Nov: Saying Goodbye
2010 Oct: I Am Always With You
2010 Sept: Be Joyful Always
2010 July: Managing Expectations
2010 June: But They Are Our Masters…
2010 June: Driving: A Means of Personal Formation?
2010 May: HO Welcome Tea
2010 May: The Rain
2010 May: A Missed Lunch
2010 May: Man In The Mirror
2010 May: Reflections At The End Of The Day
2010 Apr: Finding God In All Things
2010 Mar: Surely You Put Your Trust In The Lord?
2010 Mar: The Significance of a Name

2009 Nov: Batam: Beyond A Mission
2009 Oct: The Broken Rosary
2009 Sept: Love Note To God, Father
2009 Aug: Let God Take The Wheel
2009 Aug: The Prequel: The One About Graduation
2009 July: The Sequel: The Later Months
2009 June: First Month of HO-Ship
2009 May: “The House of God” by Samuel Shem
2009 May: In The Discipleship for Christ


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