Organ Donation and Human Dignity: An African Theological and Bioethical Engagement with Contemporary Medical Science

Organ donation has become one of the most significant developments in modern medical science, offering life-saving possibilities for patients with end-stage organ failure. However, despite its clinical success, it raises deep ethical, cultural, and theological questions, particularly in African contexts where understandings of the body, death, and personhood are shaped by religious and communal worldviews. This study examines organ donation through African theology and Christian bioethics, engaging contemporary medical science while reflecting on human dignity, consent, bodily integrity, and moral responsibility. Using qualitative theological reflection, the paper draws on Scripture, African contextual theology, and peer-reviewed bioethical literature. It argues that organ donation, when ethically regulated and grounded in informed consent, is compatible with Christian moral teaching and African relational anthropology. However, persistent cultural fears, weak regulatory frameworks, and risks such as exploitation require sustained theological, ethical, and institutional engagement.