GP Academy Letter 250812: Organ Transplant Horror Show. Maybe Rethink Donating?

From The Article: “…investigations reveal… disturbing cases of organ donation after circulatory death… like something out of a tale by Edgar Allan Poe… grisly stories of patient abuse… surgeons opened a patient’s chest to procure her organs, only to discover that her heart was still beating.”

Gordon: Years ago while gigging as a young musician I saw a stack of “business cards” sitting on the bar in a night club. I picked up the top card and chuckled when I read it. It said:

ORGAN DONORS ANONYMOUS
Feel free to examine me all over.
If you see an organ you can’t live without, help yourself!

Today’s is not the first article I’ve read in the past month on the subject of harvesting organs from the living—it keeps popping up everywhere.

I understand that there is a timely need to remove donor organs and transport them while they’re still fresh. That makes perfect sense. But at least make sure the donor doesn’t need them any more.

Imagine having a near death experience (NDS) and leaving your body for a few minutes. You try to return and your lungs are missing. Or maybe just your liver.

My current NH state drivers license indicates my consent to donate my organs after I achieve room temperature. As a humanitarian gesture, I always thought this was a good idea. It seemed like the least I could do when I no longer need this body.

But I plan to amend that consent very soon.

Already there is a big push in Canada and elsewhere internationally towards offering voluntary euthanasia to people suffering, not from chronic illness, but from mental health disorders!

Feeling depressed? Just climb into this comfy suicide pod and push the button.

What happened to the Hippocratic oath? Physician, thou shalt do no harm while they’re still alive… but it’s OK to help get rid of them?

And now this nightmare. If harvesting organs from people who aren’t actually deceased isn’t an indictment of the medical profession, I don’t know what is.

Maybe someone should nominate Steven King for surgeon general.