If you knew that you might place another person at risk with an organ gift? That, in fact, rather than live, they might die? Would you insist that a donor clinic take your organ gift? Would you allow the clinic and the potential recipient to even know the risk? What kind of person would take that action – and why?
When news broke a few days ago, that organ donations from active homosexuals were not being accepted due to potential HIV issues, a perfectly reasonable position, the CBC came under extraordinary pressure. Transplant groups began to shuffle to present their politically correct face. Media reports said transplant groups had now denied that active homosexual men are barred from donating organs.
What will this group not do for acceptance?
“Several transplant organizations” reported that the recent rules only formalized existing procedures that screen organs for disease. Mark Meloche, head of the surgery section at the British Columbia Transplant Society said, “We will still consider all organs and all donors. We still consider the use of them, depending on the circumstances. It’s all part of a risk assessment.”
Male donors who have had sexual contact with another man in the last five years under the rules, are considered a high risk. But the rules did not outright ban doctors from receiving organs from high risk groups. The Trillium Gift of Life Network offers organs from high risk groups to transplant programs while disclosing the possible risk.
In November, the Chicago Tribune reported that an investigation was launched after four organ transplant patients in Chicago contracted HIV and hepatitis C from an infected donor last January. The Tribune reports that the infected donor had not tested positive for the diseases, likely because the infections were too recent to register on screening tests. He could have informed the organization of behaviors that made his organs a risk – but he evidently chose not to do so.
Political pressure may place whole innocent population groups at risk – to satisfy the liberal bias of a few.
Adapted from an article in LifeSite News
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Canadian Homosexuals Barred from Organ Donations as High Medical Risk
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08010909.html
