Comments on: Did Hospital Kill Teen For His Organs?

Suit By His Parents Claims Harvesting Began Before He Was Dead; Hospital, Transplant Group Deny It

[rhs648]

My son had a liver transplant at 8 years old he is now 18 and headed for collage next fall.
After watching this story I am at a total loss for words. How cbs could air this is inconceivable. I don't know how you can sleep at night. You have caused a lot of pain and death today .
Posted by spitfireguy

This is called news. News agencies report the news. That is their job.

[rhs648]

In a country that invented the CT scan, only 10% of its population can afford to use it.

The system is broken. Who will fix it? And how?
Posted by dragonwagon5

In America, at least 70% of the people have health insurance. Health Insurance plans cover CT scans as long as they are medically necessary. Your assertion is incorrect.

[rhs648]

I think it is perfectly ok to take this guys organs to save a bunch of other people's lives. Why not when we can murder 49,000,000 babie's lives just for the convenience of the mother it makes this pale in comparison.
Posted by littlebuddyd

Since when do two wrongs make it right?

[dnamj]

What an awful story. The problem here is that there are too few standards of care. Private medicine is a guaranteed way to leave patients' needs and rights lower on the priority list than money. I have no way of knowing from this article who is right and who is wrong. It's a disgrace that this story was aired like this, which will probably prevent people from donating organs when they should, and it's also a disgrace that we live in a country where we're left to fight in court for our rights as patients, and parents of patients.

[BENNYBUTTKISS]

I think this is a terrable story,but organs should not be donated,they should be worth money!the hospitol wont give you a free band-aid but they want you to give a free heart ,liver,ect.they make all this money and us ,we make nothing,not trying to make money but i think it should go both ways.then i think these doctors would be a little less likley to kill an innocent teen,show us the green!

[endurorob]

The DA says there is no evidence of wrong doing. It looks to me like it is a couple of grieving parents (and I feel for them) that are looking for someone to blame for their sons death. CBS, you should be ashamed for airing something like this.

[mainewintahs]

Yes this system needs to be fixed. How? Maybe looking into socialized medicine would be a good place to start. Putting caps on all medical professional salaries would be another good start.

[deberyl]

My husband suffered a closed head brain injury. He was a close to death as can be. He was on artificial breathing, the whole nine yards.The Drs. as me to pick who I wanted to give last rites. I refused and continued treatment and 30 weeks later we are home still dealing with the head injury. MY husband has already exceeded the diagnosis. Doctors do not understand Head trauma. I believe after what I have been through that there are some very terrible things that go on. Some so utterly shocking it is hard to understand. Drs don't always think what is best for the patience but of the bottom line-----Money So very sorry for the loss of the Jacobs.

[spitfireguy]

My son had a liver transplant at 8 years old he is now 18 and headed for collage next fall.
After watching this story I am at a total loss for words. How cbs could air this is inconceivable. I don't know how you can sleep at night. You have caused a lot of pain and death today .

[creighton2610]

You know this is a very seriouse thing in America. I remember a couple of years ago a hospital gave bone marrow from Aids patients to innocent people in need. People were popping up with Aids and not knowing how they got it. Hospitals were that desperate for money, they lied to people. Afetr that incident, I don't put anything past Hospitals in America.

[desertpro]

Thgdriver:
Ok by your logic if you get caught in a lie then from now on you, your, family, your fellow employees and your dog can never be trusted.. Give me a break an officer in an completely differant agency may have lied. Then that means this kid was murdered Pathetic! This incident has been looked at by several agencies not just one and all came to the same conclusion. No crime. also if organs are going to be donated then artificial life support is used.. That does not make the donor alive. As to this family nothing is worse than losing a child but to displace thier grief and anger is not doing a service to this boys memory. If any other child dies due to the hate these people are now spewing then that childs blood is on there hands.

The Irony then is that by ttying to displace blame that is not theirs they will commit the very act they now wrongly blame themselvs for.

[LJFromGR]

I agree that this is a slippery slope. The original intention of all bioethical issues seem to start soundly, but in nearly every case, iethical integrity is compromised in time and needs and financial compensation increase. As with the "so-called need" for "rare case" abortions...to the point of partial-birth abortions and cases of infanticide of chidren who survive abortion attempts. As with the "Death with Dignity" groups who say people should have control over their own deaths...to family members greedy for estate settlements making the determinations for them. And we will see many other such "questionable" cases with "death determination" when an anxious organ donor liaison is waiting in the wings. For those who said "brain death IS death", google Zack Dunlap. He was identified as "brain dead", a date and time of death was documented, there was absolutely no brain activity whatsoever (the hospital still stands by this!) and he was being prepared for organ donation when a cousin scraped his foot with a pocketknife and dug his fingernail under his finger nail - both incidences which caused brain-dead Zack to jerk his appendages away. 48 days later he walked away from the hospital.

[thetireguy1]

Terrible tragedy for this young man! I only pray he's in GODS hands now and the case filed
if true is another true shocker for our human race! But to believe that a hospital wouldn't ever
do that to another human being, they doctors are killing human babies all the time in abortions
and just tossing the living remains in a bag and thrown in the garbage can!
I read somewhere that after a person signs off(donated) on organs(free) the person who
donates the organs receives a bill for the surgery for removal on the organs!
The rules and truth should be set in stone to eliminate this cloak of secret that prevents others from signing up as a organ donor!!!!!!!!! God Bless this young man and I hope the family of the
young man finds peace!

[thgdriver]

remember people the case has been investigated and no fault or criminal actions have been found.
Posted by jbp_angel

Who did the investigating? Who took down the sworn statements? The hospital? The doctors? Any reason for a cover up? I think so.

Yesterday, in another story, a cop said, "why are you holding that camera on me". It was taped. Then in a sworn written statement he said he did not know it was a camera. Clearly he lied!!

Point is who is a liar now?

[grumpas]

I figure there is no chance of my being cremated alive if I no longer have the proper amount of organs to sustain life! If anything is still working good enough to harvest when I am through with it they are welcome to it. It's on my drivers license in the state of Nevada that I am a donor. I would rather donate them than run the risk of being alive in the furnace.

[thgdriver]

I wonder how quick you would be to take someone elses organs should you or one of your children need them. I hope you never have to feel the kind of desperation.
Posted by lilaim18

Actually my brother-in-law died waiting on a list of others for a liver transplant because his HMO did not cover parts of the operation? He was poor? He was too old? He had other complications? Etc. Etc. Etc.

I don't know and never will. I do know that he is quite DEAD. I still am not a donor because doctors and hospitals charge outrageous sums for these operations but expect the organs free of charge. Hypocrites ALL!

[mwc26013]

The sad outcome of the parents' misunderstanding and press coverage is that many people will become suspicious of the donor process and choose not to become a donor in order to "save" themselves from hospitals that "kill" patients for their organs. Patients on organ donor lists will then suffer and die early because no organs are available. I am a donor

[rwsmith29456]

I would not say that it is impossible for interested parties to be overly enthusiastic about harvesting parts because the time window is so small. However, from what we've seen so far it appears that this couple is trying to displace blame for their son's death. I most definitely feel for them but think if their son was the recipient of a donar part, they would be saying that the doctors didn't act quickly enough.

[jbp_angel]

remember people the case has been investigated and no fault or criminal actions have been found.

[myeyedea]

Organ donation is such a huge and controversial topic, just like the death penalty. There are many different sides, and most sides have legitimate points. For myself, I am not a donor and do not intend to be. I feel, even if any of my organs can be used for transplants, that it is against Nature to do so. It would be against Nature for me to accept another's organs. The commenter that said for non-donors to ask ourselves how quickly we would accept an organ if needed - you're exactly right, you won't know what you will do when the desperation hits you. At the moment I'm firm in my belief, but I am young and illness and death seem far away. Others that have had a transplant of some sort may be willing to speak about their choice and how glad they are to have more time. But, like the controversy of the death penalty, when can humans ever really know what the truth is?, when someone is truly dead or truly guilty? Because there is and always will be a question, that leads some to say it is not right for us to make decisions regarding the ending or prolonging of life. All one can provide, with certainty, is an answer to the question of if you want to be a donor; and I agree w/ this father - please answer it so your loved ones don't have to make a guess for you.