In Colorado, a hospital group has set a mandate for organ donation recipients: No Covid vaccine, no organ donation surgery. Their research shows that organ recipients are at high risk for death from Covid or Covid complications, so basically, they don’t want to use precious organs on people who won’t protect that investment in every way.
I agree with this policy, in the same way that I agree that livers should not be donated to active alcoholics, lungs shouldn’t be donated to smokers, etc. Why would you waste a precious organ on someone who is going to destroy it? One might argue that those behaviors directly affect the organs in question, so why say that the unvaccinated are in the same category? Well, from the damage to many organs Covid causes, anyone not protecting themselves from a virus when the vaccine is available is playing Russian Roulette with their gift.
I use my own Dad as the Litmus test for many ethical dilemmas. My Dad died of a congenital heart disease. If he had been on the heart transplant list, but continued to drink and smoke, I’d be unable to argue his case to receive a heart before someone who would take care of it. By the same token, I wouldn’t be able to defend his (theoretical) decision not to get the vaccine.
A woman came forward in Colorado to say that she didn’t get vaccinated for religious reasons, and it’s unfair for her to be refused surgery. It isn’t stated which religion she was following, but if you can tell me any religion that has a problem with vaccines, but not organ transplant or the many drugs anti-rejection drugs needed afterwards, I’m all ears.
The other explanation given for people not getting the vaccine is fears of what repercussions might come down the road. Do you mean to tell me that there are people more afraid of theoretical effects from a vaccine than the very real organ failure they are facing imminently? This does not make sense.
I don’t mean to be cruel, and I’m sure the hospitals don’t either. The facts are that if you won’t do what is required to preserve yourself and your miracle gift of a new organ, you are not deserving of it.
