THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) asked President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III not to repel the directive of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, halting the commercialization of organ donation.
“The CBCP will appeal to President Noy or P-NOY not to abrogate PGMA’s administrative order,” said Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros in an interview.
The order prohibits foreigners from getting organ transplantation from non-related donor.
Oliveros, head of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Bioethics, also urged the President to support the CBCP’s Pastoral letter on Organ Sale and Organ Donation which was issued in 2008.
In their pastoral letter, the prelates denounced the selling and trading of human organs.
“Human organ sale or trade, by its very nature is morally unacceptable. It is contrary to the dignity of the human person, his or her authentic autonomy and the essential equality of all persons," the letter disclosed.
“The dignity of the human person as the image of God includes not only his or her soul but his or her corporeal being. Hence, our body ought not to be treated as a commodity or object of commerce, which would amount to the dispossession or plundering of the human body,” it added.
Oliveros is reacting on the move of Health Secretary Enrique Ona calling for the review on the policy on organ donation.
The Health department chief said the program should be evaluated to determine its impact on the health sector and how it has progressed.
“It will open again the floodgates of immoral and degrading practice of organ selling in the country,” Oliveros said. (FP/Sunnex)