Editorial

Organ donation: The ultimate gift of life

Recently I watched the movie "John Q" starring Denzel Washington as a frustrated father whose son needed a heart transplant. John did not have the money to pay for the expensive procedure for his son (his health insurance benefits had been cut), so he was relegated to the bottom of the "priority" list.

It was a sad commentary on our times. Those with more money and influence often get the chance for life-saving procedures. The poor do not.

Organ and tissue donation. This movie also reminded me of the importance of being an organ donor. The Wisconsin Coalition on Donation reported recently that more than 1,500 people in Wisconsin and over 79,000 people nationally are awaiting organ transplantation.

Tissue is transplanted during more than 750,000 surgeries each year. One out of 20 Wisconsin residents - more than 268,000 people - will need a tissue transplant in his or her lifetime.

More than 46,000 cornea transplants are performed annually. Last year there were 596 cornea transplants performed in Wisconsin.

Gift of life. Organ, tissue, and eye donation is the ultimate gift of life we can make. One donor can often save or enhance the lives of more than 70 people.

What can be donated? Organs include the heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, and intestines. Tissue includes eyes, bone, skin, heart valves, connective tissue, arteries, and veins.

Perhaps people may think only young, mostly healthy donors are preferred. But that is not true. People of all ages can provide organ, tissue, and eye donations.

There may be concerns about funerals for organ donors. However, funeral arrangements can proceed as planned with donors.

It's simple. Recently, my driver's license came up for renewal. As I have done before, I signed the organ donor part of the license which says: "Upon my death I wish to donate." Options are given for any organs or parts or for the donor to designate certain organs or parts for donation.

An orange circle with the words "ORGAN DONOR" is pasted on the front of the donor's driver's license. It's as simple as that. Organ donors are also encouraged to tell their family about their decision.

For more information on organ donation, visit: www.shareyourlife.org and www.organdonor.gov.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to know that you have saved or improved the life of someone after your own death? I urge everyone to make this gift of life.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

To the editor:

	Mailbag policy We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Limit letters to 200 words or less. All letters must be signed. Send letters to: Mailbag The Catholic Herald P.O. Box 44985 Madison, WI 53744-4985 Fax: 608-821-3071 E-mail: info@madisoncatholicherald.org

I moved to Madison five years ago, and though I always managed to attach myself to whichever church was near my residence, I don't think I ever got to know anyone at that given church. It seemed to me that the social functions that were offered were focused on the families.

While I do not dispute the fact that families are one of the major components of a church, it seemed to me that an entire group of people (e.g., those of us who are 20-something transplants) were somewhat neglected.

The past four weeks the Diocese of Madison has offered "Theology on Tap," a Thursday night lecture series targeted at young adults (in their 20s and 30s). The speakers I have heard have all given me at least one aspect of my life in the church, whether it be my role as a member or my behavior in everyday life, to think about.

This "continuing education" as well as the opportunity to meet others at similar points in life as myself has proven to be most enjoyable and, in my opinion, a much needed addition to the social fabric of the Catholic Church here in Madison.

To whomever was responsible for making this lectures series happen, I wish to express my sincere appreciation. It is my hope that similar offerings can be made in the future.

David M. Crow, Fitchburg

'Step back from the brink of war'

To the editor:

We know already that violence begets violence, and yet here we find ourselves on the brink of starting a war.

On Sept. 25, NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, and Pax Christi U.S.A. sponsored an emergency lobby day asking Congress to oppose current proposals to attack Iraq. With just five days to plan the event, we were overwhelmed by the size of the response. Catholic sisters, priests, and members of the laity traveled to Washington from around the country to speak to their senators and representatives. Thousands more made phone calls and sent e-mail messages.

As people of faith, we were heartened by their quick action. Our organizations had been calling for a peaceful resolution to the problem for months. Nine days before our lobby day, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had also delivered a letter to President Bush in which they raised serious moral questions about the use of force in Iraq. They wrote, in part, "We respectfully urge you to step back from the brink of war and help lead the world to act together to fashion an effective global response to Iraq's threats that conforms with traditional moral limits on the use of military force."

The U.S. has not yet exhausted all diplomatic means to deal with the threats posed by Iraq. There is still time to pull us back from the brink.

"Peace be with you," said Jesus. We need to pause now and listen to his call.

Sr. Kathy Thornton,
National Coordinator of NETWORK,
Washington, D.C.