Dead Babies Organ Transplants - A Dark Path Awaits?

[OneWingedBird]

This scares me. It's good that people who might otherwise have died got their transplants, but really, this also looks like a viable method of being able to have organs that are highly likely to be compatible available in a 9 month period:

Doctors have performed the first organ transplants from a newborn in the UK.

In a procedure described as a milestone in neonatal care, a six-day-old baby girl's kidneys and liver cells were given to two separate recipients after her heart stopped beating.

Experts argue there is potential for more life-saving donations, but say current UK guidelines are prohibitive.

An official review is expected by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health this year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30878890

 

[Cultjunky]

Not necessarily so. Even in families, a renal match is only a 25% possibility. Whilst immunosuppresants can increase the percentage, or rather make a less perfect match a possibility, it's not really likely you can 'pre-order' an organ.

 

[OneWingedBird]

You don't think some people would try for a roll of the dice on 25% if their life depended on it? Rather than 1 in 10s of thousands each time a donor dies.

 

[Cultjunky]

I'm not sure what you are getting at OWB? Do you mean folks having a second child to become a donor, or parents of a baby accepting the high risk of rejection?

 

[rynner2]

I'm not sure what you are getting at OWB? Do you mean folks having a second child to become a donor, or parents of a baby accepting the high risk of rejection?

It may 'only' be a nine month wait for an organ, but it's an organ for a newborn - I can't see much scope for skulduggery there.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

The article says....

"But they say the neonatal organs could be donated to young babies, children or even adults."

Are we thinking that people might have a baby to kill it then harvest the organs?

 

[OneWingedBird]

If it's physically possible, some bugger will have a go at it.

9 months wait for an organ with a 25% chance of compatibility might be appealing to some.