Religious altruism and organ donation

Clinicians performing psychiatric assessments of potential organ donors mus t consider the motivations behind the act that is - strictly in terms of it s physiological implications -entirely altruistic. The authors present two case reports in which proposed kidney donors conceptualized their offers ex clusively in terms of their religious beliefs and not in terms of kinship o r emotional intimacy with the intended recipients. The negative reactions o f some clinicians to the offers reveal the readiness with which religious b eliefs can be pathologized and the way in which biological relationships ca n unduly restrict the clinical understanding of healthy altruism.