Eugenics In Action: 3 Year Old Girl Denied Kidney Transplant Because She Is "Mentally Retarded"

Yeah, I didn't like local news coverage on this story. They reported on the family and community outrage, and they presented a statement from CHOP stating that they do not discriminate based on mental or other disabilities and health conditions, but they never went to the heart of the issue, which is exactly why the she was denied the transplant. Yes, this is a tough, sad story, but trying to make perhaps the best hospital in the region look bad on a slow news night is just irresponsible and unprofessional.

This has nothing to do with genetics. To quote the artical:

"Amelia is not being denied a donor transplant because she is, as her mother writes, "mentally retarded." She is being denied a donor transplant because she has a cascading syndrome that will shorten and limit her life, meaning that kidney will not "save" her in the way that it might someone who starts out healthier"

She won't live long regardless of whether she gets the transplant or not. Personally, I'm more disturbed that anyone who has a history of alcohol abuse (defined as alchol ever causing a problem in your life, such as a ticket) can never get a dontated organ. This goes to show you how strict the requirements are. This girls family is very likely to be a match for her, so why aren't they giving up an organ? Have they been tested?

The funniest thing here is that the artical says it is wrong if "Life support systems are terminated for those that are considered to be "vegetables"." Where do they think that these organs come from?

Speaking as a person who is on the transplant list waiting for a kidney there were problably a few other complicating issues that didn't get reported on. Like the fact that for the rest of that girls life she would need to take anti-rejection medications and follow a rather strict regimen to avoid infections and illnesses. Not someting the mentaly retarded are famous for being able to do.

Giving that girl a kidney would double or triple the care burden her loved ones would have to undergo. She would be a high risk caniddate for rejection and that means someone who would care for the kidney better wouldn't get it. Transplant doctors have to make very hard choices like this all the time and having laymen such as yourselves second guessing them is insulting.

Personaly I have been waiting over two years for a kidney and have made major changes to my life so that I can be a better candidate for that kidney when the time comes for it. Thousands of people die every year waiting for organs.

If you care so much about this girl getting a kidney then give her one of yours. If a live donor were to offer her a kidney the doctors would give it to her regardless of their opinions on her ability to care for it. If you really cared about people getting the organs the needed you would sigh an organ donor card and make it clear to your loved ones that you want your organs to go to others when you die.

This doctor is playing god. What right does he have to do so? If this family finds their own donor for their 3 year old daughter and then the hospital refuses to do the transplant? What's wrong with this picture?

She wouldn't have appreciated the kidney anyway....

I always think it's funny that we live in a society that pretends to care but we screen out people with diseases, mentally handicapped people, and the like for organ transplant lists.