Organ Donations Can Save Lives, But Harvesters?

Letter to Ephesians: I’m considering being an organ donor upon my death to maybe save the life of another. But I gotta admit I paused when I saw a report of feds investigating how “Organ harvesting began while patients still showed ‘signs of life’”…

Of course, timing can be crucial in saving the life of a person desperately needing a transplanted heart or other critical organ. But I & others considering a DNR & legally binding organ donation document aren’t asking too much to also expect the “organ harvesting industry” to make sure St. Peter has already called me to the Pearly Gate. Still, Fox News recently told us how “The US Dept. of Health & Human Services has begun the decertification of Network for Hope, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) serving Kentucky & parts of Indiana, Ohio & West Virginia, following federal reviews that uncovered serious patient safety failures.” Those “issues” included instances of organ harvesting being initiated on patients who still showed active signs of life. Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox medical expert, credited HHS Sec. Kennedy with “bringing to light horror stories about the dark corners of organ harvesting.”

As the Fox story suggests, the MEDICAL call on what constitutes “Dead as a Door Nail” isn’t always as clear cut as some suppose. But neither is the LEGAL definition. True, the Uniform Determination of Death Act or UDDA, gives two ways to determine death. One occurs when the entire brain stops functioning. That’s commonly known as “brain dead.” The other occurs when the heart & breathing “permanently” stop. The “Brain dead” scenario is generally an easier call; the circulatory & respiratory scenario is not so much. Regardless, the various state versions of UDDA universally require only expert physicians & family – not any Organ Procurement Organization – to make the determination of “DEAD” consistent with “ordinary medical standards.” Yet, as Fox noted, HHS had found at least 350 “attempted but incomplete” organ donation cases & 103 “troubling cases,” including 73 “donors” who showed “neurological signs inconsistent with donation criteria.” So, “full stop” doesn’t always mean “full stop” to some harvesters?

Davd Soul