November 10, 2006

NEW YORK, NY – This year during National Donor Sabbath (November 10-12), faith communities throughout the nation will participate in discussions of the ability of human beings to save lives through organ and tissue donation for transplantation. Observed on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday two weeks before Thanksgiving, National Donor Sabbath will effectively launch the holiday season.

According to the New York Organ Donor Network, participation in National Donor Sabbath increases each year but so does the need for donors. Across the United States, more than 28,000 organ transplants were performed in 2005, but more than 92,000 people are on the organ transplant waiting list. Of these, 7,000 are in the Greater New York metro area, a region in which there were only 261 organ donors last year. Each day, as many as 17 people die in the United States because of the lack of life-saving organs. Thousands more need tissues, such as skin, bone, corneas, and heart-valves.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorses Donor Sabbath. Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services, said: "I am heartened that the promise of organ donation continues to save more and more lives every year. For each life saved, hope for others in need grows; we must continue to grow and share that hope across the nation."

Many faith leaders in the Greater New York metropolitan area will participate in this year's services and programs to increase awareness of donation and transplantation and the critical need for donors. Temples, churches, mosques, and other places of worship that observe Donor Sabbath will do so each in their own fashion.

Elaine Berg, president and CEO of the New York Organ Donor Network, said: "All major religions support organ and tissue donation. In our area, for example, we have received strong support from many influential religious leaders. For example, Cardinal Egan has told readers of our newsletter that the Catholic Church views organ donation as an act of charity, a powerful way for individuals to demonstrate love for their neighbor.

"We have received similar messages of support from Rabbi Moshe Tendler of Yeshiva University; The Reverend Dr. James Forbes of the Riverside Church; Sheikh Omar Abu-Namous, the Imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York; and Prof. Robert Thurman of Columbia University and president of Tibet House."

Ms. Berg appealed to all religious leaders in the region to include discussions about donation in their services in November, even if they cannot formally schedule it for the second weekend of November. "We hope that all houses of worship will get the word out that a single organ donor can save up to eight lives," she said. "One tissue donor can save or improve life for as many as 50 recipients. Can there be a better way to teach love and charity than through giving the gift of life?"

Among the events planned by the New York Organ Donor Network for National Donor Sabbath is a symposium on Sunday, November 5. Entitled "African-Americans and End of Life Care Decisions Symposium," the event will take place at the Allen AME Church, 110-31 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, NY, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the general public are invited to attend the symposium. Admission is free.

To coincide with National Donor Sabbath in November, the Donor Network will also host an event which, while not open to the general public, will bring together leaders in the fields of religion and ethics to discuss pressing issues surrounding donation.

To find out more about organ and tissue donation, National Donor Sabbath, and to enroll in the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry, visit the Web site of the New York Organ Donor Network at http://www.donatelifeny.org/. The Donor Registry is a confidential database administered by the New York State Department of Health.

Religious leaders of all faiths are encouraged to receive free materials, ideas for sermons, and other resources for National Donor Sabbath from the New York Organ Donor Network. To do so, contact Karen Cummings either at 646-291-4454 or via e-mail at kcumming@nyodn.org.

By the Numbers: Deceased Organ Donors
in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area in 2005, by Religion

During 2005 in the Greater New York metropolitan area, there were 261 deceased organ donors. The data below indicates the known religious affiliations of 204 of them; the religious denominations of the remaining 57 deceased organ donors were not stated.

This raw information does not imply donor families consented to donation for religious reasons, nor does it shed light on the religious affiliations of those families that declined consent for organ donation.

New York Organ Donor Network