The Effects of Christianity on Whole Body Donation within the African American Community

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONThe goal of this project is to understand if there is a relationship between Christian perspectives relative to the practice of whole body donation. Previous studies have pointed to a racial disparity among the rates of whole body donation between Caucasians and African Americans (AA). As a majority of AAs identify as Christians, there may be a connection between the religious beliefs and perspectives of body donation among individuals of the AA community. According to the Pew Research Center, 87% of this racial group claims a religious affiliation; 53% said they attend church at least once per week.METHODSAA adults were recruited from two majority AA Christian churches in Southeastern Michigan. Focus groups were held with 5–7 participants each. Five focus groups were conducted with a total of 26 participants between the ages of 21–80 (avg 48, median 51). Prior to the focus groups, participants answered a short survey on demographics and social characteristics including questions about how large of a role religion plays in their lives and how often they attend church. The focus groups were conducted for 1.5‐hours in a conversational manner to elucidate the participants’ thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on whole‐body donation.RESULTSThe majority of participants conflated the whole‐body and organ donation processes. They were generally unknowledgeable about whole‐body donation, but were supportive of the idea, stating that it was “beneficial for advancement and science knowledge,” and they “commend those who donate their body.” Several were knowledgeable about organ donation and said they were open to that option, but others expressed fears and concerns that healthcare professionals would allow people to die rather than provide life‐saving treatment if they knew they were a body donor. Christianity seemed to mostly be an encouraging factor for donating with participants stating “Scripture says we will get a new body, we are spiritual beings,” and “It’s [my body] on loan from him. It is being loaned to me.” Others seemed to be opposed to the process due to the necessity that the donor bodies be cremated after use. Most agreed that whole‐body donations are not religious convictions, but rather a matter of personal preference.CONCLUSIONOverall, the largest barriers to body donation seemed to be lack of knowledge and trust of the medical establishment. Christianity seems to mostly be an encouraging factor for donation. There should be more educational campaigns, particularly in AA churches to spread awareness of the process, methods, and benefits of whole body donation and its difference from organ donation. There needs to be more research done on this topic and a comparison to a group of non‐religious AAs to see if these effects hold.