Amal Cheema
Wellesley College
Project
At an Intersection: Organ Donation Across Religious Communities
India, Germany, United Kingdom
Organ donation is ever more critical throughout the world, but the role of religion has yet to be fully understood. While no faith or creed formally forbids organ donation from the living or deceased, there is a distinction between embodied theology and health-affecting behaviors. During my Watson year, I will use various faith-mapping and interfaith approaches to understand what happens when organs exchange across religious boundaries. In order to understand the conversations that occur, I will interview various stakeholders, from family members to nurses to religious leaders, and volunteer at relevant facilities. As a lifelong practitioner of faith, inquisitor, health scientist, and human being, I seek to understand how context influences religious decision, how medical advances inspire practical faith, and how necessity impacts our theology and health.