Organ Donation Offer Delays Execution of Convicted Child-Killer

In 1993 Ronald Phillips raped and murdered his girlfriends three year old daughter Sheila Marie Evans.

Due to be executed today, he has had his execution stayed after offering his organs for transplant to various family members.

This case is bound to raise many issues, most of which have surfaced in the past, but have been dismissed. Namely, could executed prisoners be a viable source of organs for transplant?

Well yes, they could, but there seems to be an issue with the use of vital organs such as the heart, lungs, and liver. It goes without saying that a person can’t survive without these and therein lies the rub…the prisoner has to survive so that he/she can be executed! The donation of non-vital organs by condemned prisoners is allowed under US law.

With the problems procuring the drugs of choice for execution I would suggest that removing organs for transplant could, pardon the pun, kill two birds with one stone. The prisoner will be dead and many very sick people will be alive, who otherwise possibly wouldn’t be due to a worldwide shortage of organs for transplant.

I know many will rip me apart for saying that, but it’s a fact. You don’t have to like it, but it is a fact.

There would be arguments of course, one would be where would you find the doctors prepared to do such a thing? The argument of course is that doctors are duty bound to preserve life, mmmm, right.

According to American Life League there are on average more than a million abortions a year in the United States so obviously some doctors are way more into life preservation than others.

Countries that do use death row inmates as organ donors, such as China, have had a good bit of bad press regarding organs being sold to the highest bidder. I am not saying we turn this into a business opportunity, but I am saying that pumping a person full of drugs that renders their vital organs useless is a waste of resources.

Execution in the United States is essentially an anaesthetic followed by the administration of a drug that stops the heart, a few minutes after the heart stops the death is confirmed by a doctor. All I am saying is that by bypassing the drug that stops the heart, that organ, and other vital organs such as the liver and lungs could be used to save a life.

Many inmates would not be suitable organ donors due to past substance abuse or known or unknown health issues. Those that are suitable could actually give something back rather than take their useable organs with them to the grave.

Many people on transplant waiting lists I would imagine prefer not to have the heart of a child rapist, or the lungs of a murderer, but life is life at the end of the day. There is no reason that the current anonymity guidelines could not be made more robust so that no donor can be traced, and as stated previously ‘regular’ executions would continue due to the unsuitability of the donor so there would be no assumption on the part of the recipient that they have organs from an executed prisoner. Should those on the waiting list have profound objections they could sign a clause forbidding prisoner organs being used in their case.

I know if one of my kids needed an organ, and a match was found I would thank God for the donor and sign the consent form.

Be honest, wouldn’t you?