The goal of this research study was to present some reasons for which academical students are considered donors or non-donors of their organs and the links among the organ donation, the fear of death and the participant's religion. Three interdependent studies were carried out, which considered altogether 192 academical students from a public university of São Paulo-State Brazil. The main reasons for donation were: the desire to go on living the other one's life; reusing of the organs; giving life quality to whom needs a transplant; uselessness of the body after death. As to the non-donation, the main reasons were: criticism to the law of transplants; criticism to the Brazilian health system ; bioethical reasons, such as fear of premeditated death and smuggling of organs. In those studies no significant relationship was found between religion and donation of organs, but it was found between fear of death and non-donation.
Organ donation; transplants; corporal image; death; religion
