July 2018 – Article 2:
The organ transplant business—and it is a business—continues to find unethical ways to increase the number of donors.
Premature declarations of brain dead patients, and in some cases accusations of murder, haunt an industry that tries to portray itself as compassionate and responsible.
The reason is obvious: there are more patients looking for organs than there are donors.
The latest data shows nearly 115,000 people are seeking an organ transplant, with more than 75,000 of those on the active waiting list.
That disparity often leads organ harvesters to push the limits of, or even ignore, the guidelines of ethical behavior, as the following examples show.
Eight-year-old Cole Hartman was taken to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after a bizarre incident during which he went into cardiac arrest after nearly drowning in a washing machine.
Cole’s father came inside after mowing the lawn and found the boy headfirst in the running washing machine.
Physicians determined the child—who was born with mental and physical disabilities—was not brain dead, but “would never recover normal neural function and…could never awaken.”
His parents decided to take him off life support and donate his organs. He died 23 minutes later.
Four years later, the Los Angeles Police Department and District Attorney’s office opened an investigation following an allegation by a coroner investigator that the anesthesiologist gave the boy a fatal dose of the opioid fentanyl to hasten his death and increase the likelihood his organs could be harvested.
Georgia Right to Life tried unsuccessfully to determine if any charges were ever brought.
In a similar case, a California transplant surgeon was eventually acquitted of a charge that he intentionally administered excessive and improper doses of drugs to hasten a patient’s death in order to harvest his organs.
A Mobile, AL, teenager who was declared brain dead defied the odds and regained consciousness not long after his parents signed papers to donate his organs.
Trenton McKinley, 13, suffered seven skull fractures after a utility trailer he was riding in flipped over. However, a day before doctors were going to take him off life support, he began showing signs of brain activity and movement.
The boy endured a long road to recovery, including several surgeries.
The Manhattan Supreme Court continues to hear a case that claims the New York Organ Donor Network pressured staffers to declare patients brain dead so their body parts could be harvested—and even hired “coaches” to train them how to be more persuasive.
The suit was filed by an Air Force combat veteran nurse who claims he was fired for protesting the practice, which he said uses a quota system based on getting next of kin to sign consent forms when patients were not registered as organ donors.
California surgeon Hootan C. Roozrokh was charged with prescribing excessive and improper doses of drugs in an attempt to hasten the death of a brain-damaged 25-year-old patient in order to harvest his organs sooner.
Dr. Roozrokh was eventually acquitted following a two-month trial and lengthy jury deliberations. However, the jury issued a statement with its verdict saying the case illustrated a “desperate need” for a clear policy on cardiac death donations.
A key player in the transplant business is the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), the scientific and educational organization that administers the non-profit Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).
It sets organ donation guidelines and policies throughout the country and claims it demonstrates “integrity through consistency, openness, and honesty.”
However, when asked to comment on abuses the organization washed its hands of any responsibility.
A UNOS spokesperson told GRTL it has “no authority or involvement in assessment of donor potential, authorization for organ donation, or any aspect of declaring death.”
She added that the “individual hospital is always responsible for patient care prior to death and for pronouncing death according to applicable laws and standards.”
These heartbreaking situations should serve as a wake-up call to those who value the sanctity of life.
When dealing with people in a coma, physicians in most cases rely on value judgements to determine if the patient is actually brain dead and are therefore eligible for organ donation. As the above examples illustrate, they are often wrong.
When facing such a situation, family members are encouraged to become familiar with the issue before allowing organ donation. (See “Wanted Dead or Alive Essential Terminology” and “Wanted Dead or Alive Things to Consider”).
Another fact to keep in mind is that most hospitals consider being a registered donor as legally binding and organ retrieval must be allowed regardless of a family’s wishes.
As a result, pro-life supporters are encouraged to carefully consider whether they wish to be an organ donor. Anyone wishing to cancel their donor registration can do so at: www.donatelifegeorgia.org. A new driver’s license may also be required.
Sources: nypost.com; theatlantic.com; latimes.com; unos.org; nytimes.com; foxnews.com.
By Wayne DuBois
Georgia Right to Life
Media Relations Advisor