October 16, 2018
MEDIA STATEMENT
Organ donation needs ‘whole of community’ support
Transplant Australia today expressed its disappointment with a new television commercial released in Australia to promote organ and tissue donation.
Transplant Australia CEO, Chris Thomas, confirmed that Transplant Australia, the national community voice for organ and tissue donation and transplantation, was not involved in the ‘What would Jesus Do?’ advertisement prepared alongside a new documentary titled ‘Dying to Live’ which has been released nationally this month.
“Organ donation needs a ‘whole of community’ support, especially if we are to continue to improve our donation levels to that of the United States and Spain,” Mr Thomas said.
“Why then mock and ridicule the religion and faith of at least 52 per cent of the Australian population who, according to the 2016 Census identified as Christians, in an attempt to promote organ donation?
“And it is this very group of Australians who traditionally have been the greatest supporters of organ donation. Why undermine this support with this advertisement of Jesus being crucified? If the answer is to get people talking then unfortunately the campaign might achieve that – but for all the wrong reasons.”
Mr Thomas concluded stressing that the rate of organ and tissue donation had doubled in Australia over the past 10 years and the public should be confident that everything was being done to further improve donation rates so that more Australians could receive a life-saving transplant.
The public can best support donation by registering to be a donor at www.donatelife.gov.au.
Recent comments