Man donated kidney to his wife, now he wants it back!
 

He wants compensation for it because now their getting a divorce....

http://news.aol.com/article/man-want...-kidney/297471

Ha! I'm going to send this article to my husband. He's been mad at me ever since I told him that he could NOT have one of my kidneys if he went on dialysis (this is all hypothetical since his renal function is normal!) I personally feel that harvesting organs from normal, healthy people is unethical. They have cadaveric donors for a reason. (And yes, I'm well aware of the benefits of live donors and living-related donors.)

I think that is crazy! I dont think he is thinking of his kids' well-being/mental health in this situation.

Did he give her a gift reciept with that kidney?

I'd say that is one of those gifts (like bathing suits) that can't be returned once they're used.

As someone who works in this field, I do not find this story shocking.

You'd be surprised to see what some folks think gives them leverage in a divorce trial.

I'd be surprised to see him get anything here though because organs, as far as I know, have no cash value.

Isn't making a monetary demand for a transplanted organ the equivalent of selling it?

I thought selling human body parts is illegal in all states.

I know a guy, a twin, who has had extensive kidney problems, and he and his brother have both had kidney transplants.

His brother got a kidney from his girlfriend. They broke up, and now the girl is dating the other twin. I wonder how weird it is to know that your kidney is inside your ex-boyfriend, who happens to be your boyfriend's twin brother?

Typing that out made my head spin.

Do you mind if I ask why?

Would it constitute sale of an organ, which is illegal?

No. It would only be a sale if he made payment a condition of the donation to begin with.

Sounds more like he's treating it as marital property that should be taken into account in any division and distribution of the couple's assets.

I thought the main reason people did this (i.e. gave someone their kidney) was because the person in question had been waiting for forever and they were having problems finding a match from a deceased donor.

So I take it you gave Steel Magnolias a thumbs down, then. :p

Good point and usually...when you do that...it's a gift.

Gift of Life.

I could be wrong tho.

No...I don't mind. I think that taking an organ from a normal person causes them an injury. It is a fairly dangerous procedure that has actually resulted in death for some living donors. It also brings up a lot of issues regarding whether or not someone can truly give consent freely. Many people, I'm sure, feel pressured to give up their kidneys and don't feel they can say no. Living related donors are NOT the last option as 33girl suggested. Many transplant surgeons prefer to have people get a living related donor, if possible, because those kidneys last longer than cadaveric organs. (I did rotations on transplant surgery as a surgery intern and have participated in transplants and organ harvests.)
Take my example...my husband really is mad that I won't give him a kidney! He feels like I have to let him have one since we're married, and I'm O neg so we'll probably match. I have enough knowledge and convictions to stand up to him about it, but the average person has no idea what they are giving up and that they have a right to say no.
Some people have even gone as far as having the doctor tell their family member that they were not a match because they couldn't say no to them! That is a problem!
Don't even get me started on how frequently people reject their kidneys because they don't want to take their medicine correctly. Let them get a kidney from someone who doesn't need one anymore...otherwise, they can stay on dialysis!

Essentially, I don't think your family should be an organ bank for you! Trust me, I won't be asking for any organs from my family.

It's most certainly not the equivalent of selling it.

Think about it like this: through the Courts, we're allowed (indeed, required) to put a monetary value on a person's life in cases such as wrongful death or negligence. This is not the equivalent of selling a person - valuation is not the same as transacting.

With that said, Kevin's exactly right - it's a leverage ploy, although it may require a judicial decision on what constitutes "property" in their home state (for purposes of marriage/divorce). It's actually really interesting for nerds like me.

Thanks for your response. I see where you're coming from.

Can I ask you one more question? If the donor does not feel any pressure at all and fully understands the risks involved, and still makes the free choice to donate his or her kidney, would you still consider the decision to donate the kidney unethical? (Perhaps a related question is this: Is it the use of a living donor's organs that you consider unethical, the decision of a living donor to donate an organ unethical, or both?)

Very very valid points as I also did screenings and evaluations for donors at Univ of MD.

Many living donors that come are made to go thru extensive physical and mental evals before they can even be considered a good match for the recipient. Some of you would be surprised how many people who want to donate wind up being found with long term problems themselves and in a few cases that I saw, some donors wound up needing a donation themselves!

Believe when it's said that donating an organ is not a simple process once the decision is made that someone wants to do so!

And not only is non compliancy with meds an issue but non compliancy with lifestyle changes are an issue.

Smoking cessation
Changes in diet and so forth.

I think the guy is lame to want it back. There is not much he's going to get back unless he wants to do the "Bodies Exhibit" and treat the organ to hardened it.

What we are talking about is "transplant health policy"--what is it? Health wise, molecular wise, legally, mentally, etc. While kidney transplants are "relatively routine" today, the fact is we really do not understand ALL the aspects why this surgery really works. Re-routing and splicing renal artery and veins does not mean as research scientists we understand why the transplanted nephrons and glomeruli work? And do we care? Yes, because created better drugs to not have GVHD, or avoiding the need would health the sufferer better.

Maybe with stem cells? IDK?

Now the way I look at it is that the dear doctor is trying to make it sound like a Black Market Kidney. It was a gift for Pete's sake? Did he ask for compensation for the wedding ring that he bought her or the honeymoon that he paid for?

Rediculous!

I watched it on the news. This guy totally took the cake for me. I've seen some really absurd things on the news and have read nonsense in the paper, but this totally is far beyond everything. What an IDIOT. Isn't he a Dr. too?

Yep, he's a doctor alright!

You people seem to be overlooking the fact that she cheated on him with her physical therapist.

He saved her life by giving her his own damn kidney and she cheats on him. She is a total scumbag and deserves to be assessed the estimated cost.

And that makes him an even bigger idiot.

He probably didn't ask for "compensation" but those will be included in the division of assets as part of the divorce . . . and he's basically angling for the kidney to do the same, and offset her "take" from the kitty. It's a much more interesting angle than I think you're giving credit.

Interesting blog entry by a doctor - I learned a few things about the case I hadn't read elsewhere.

http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=84925

She is denying the allegation.