|
|
"A historical political resource."
|
Killer's quest: Allow organ donation after execution
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Issue
|
| Contributor | Brandonius Maximus |
| Last Edited | Brandonius Maximus Apr 21, 2011 01:45pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Perspective |
| Author | JoNel Aleccia |
| News Date | Thursday, April 21, 2011 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | An Oregon death row inmate is mounting an aggressive behind-bars campaign to donate his organs after he’s executed, in part to repay society for the gruesome murders of his wife and three young children.
Christian Longo, 37, says he wants to do more to take responsibility for killing his family and dumping their bodies in coastal bays nearly a decade ago than simply accepting execution by lethal injection.
“Why go out and waste your organs when you have the potential to go out and save six to 12 lives?” reasons Longo, whose voice is measured and articulate on the phone from Oregon State Penitentiary cell DRU31 in Salem.
His request to drop his appeals in exchange for being allowed to donate organs has been flatly denied by state corrections officials, who refuse to negotiate with a killer. It’s been denounced in principle as “morally reprehensible” by the nation’s organ donation officials and medical ethicists.
“I don’t think we want to be the kind of society that takes organs from prisoners,” said Dr. Paul R. Helft, director of the Charles Warren Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics and Indiana University. "To do so would be to use unfree prisoners as a means to an end." |
| Share |
|
| Article | Read Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
| DISCUSSION |
|---|
| [View All 8 Previous Messages] |
 |
I have a problem with this, even though my wife died through lack of an available kidney transplant. Just like the sisters who were released from prison with the donation of a kidney as a condition, anytime you coerce a donation it's bad for the system, even though he wants to donate he is in effect being forced to contribute as he certainly wouldn't be if not for the execution.
I have a problem with this, even though my wife died through lack of an available kidney transplant. Just like the sisters who were released from prison with the donation of a kidney as a condition, anytime you coerce a donation it's bad for the system, even though he wants to donate he is in effect being forced to contribute as he certainly wouldn't be if not for the execution.
|
|
 |
 PC:549 | kal ( -57.2262 points)
|
Fri, April 22, 2011 01:44:53 PM UTC0:00
|
James, I certainly understand you point. We wouldn't want to become like China. But I can also understand some truely remorseful inmate wanting to make a donation as a way of making amends for their actions.
James, I certainly understand you point. We wouldn't want to become like China. But I can also understand some truely remorseful inmate wanting to make a donation as a way of making amends for their actions.
|
|
|
|
With all the ethical concerns, why are we as a society so focused on the occassional prisoner donation and not on the lack of organs being donated by society at large? I've had an organ donor card in my wallet for 30 years, yet for most people they either don't think about it or are concerned about the ethics of people they think will prematurely take their organs. It's the latter that procurement is most concerned with in image, if they start to take organs based upon need rather than ethics it hurts the overall system. Beyond just the ethics of dealing with prisoners or poor people willing to sell organs, whose to say that people start to rationalize that terminally ill people should be able to end their life early to provide organs that would otherwise degrade?
With all the ethical concerns, why are we as a society so focused on the occassional prisoner donation and not on the lack of organs being donated by society at large? I've had an organ donor card in my wallet for 30 years, yet for most people they either don't think about it or are concerned about the ethics of people they think will prematurely take their organs. It's the latter that procurement is most concerned with in image, if they start to take organs based upon need rather than ethics it hurts the overall system. Beyond just the ethics of dealing with prisoners or poor people willing to sell organs, whose to say that people start to rationalize that terminally ill people should be able to end their life early to provide organs that would otherwise degrade?
|
|
|
|
|
