By Leslie Sholly
Heidi Klessig, MD, and Christopher W. Bogosh, RN-BC, wrote Harvesting Organs & Cherishing Life: What Christians Need to Know about Organ Donation and Procurement to raise awareness of the dangers associated with certain types of organ donation and with the term “brain death.”
These authors have years of both research and practical experience in the healthcare sector and felt called to share their knowledge with lay people so that they can make ethical decisions regarding the end of life.
Dr. Klessig is a retired board-certified anesthesiologist and pain management specialist. After starting practice in the operating room, she entered private practice as an anesthesiologist specializing in pain management. She has hands-on experience caring for organ transplant patients and for people amid suffering.
Christopher Bogosh is a psychiatric mental health nurse with more than 25 years of nursing experience ranging from critical care to hospice care. He holds a degree in theology, has served in the pastorate, and has written extensively on medical ethics from a Christian perspective.
The following interview with Dr. Klessig was conducted via email in May 2022 and has been lightly edited for clarity.
Q: How did you and Mr. Bogosh decide to collaborate, and why did you write this book?
A: Rev. Jeff Pollard, the editor of the Free Grace Broadcaster, asked Chris for permission to use some of his material from [his books] for an upcoming edition of FGB. Jeff then published some of Chris’ material about brain death in the FGB. After I read it, I responded to Jeff with a note of gratitude. He linked Chris and me, and Chris invited me to co-author Harvesting Organs.
To read the remainder of this article, visit clmagazine.org/topic/end-of-life/the-dangers-of-organ-donation.
To read more inspirational and educational pro-life articles, visit the CLM website at clmagazine.org.