Strange Reasons People Are Denied Organ Transplants

In 2021 alone there were approximately 41,354 organ transplants performed in the United States alone, a 5.9% from the previous year. Although these people were lucky enough to make the cut, many others weren’t and for some of the most bizarre reasons you’d never expect. Sure, there are criteria that need to be met, but some of these requirements  are just plain discrimination. With all this said, let’s dive into this list of the strangest reasons people are denied organ transplants.\r \r 1. Potential Disability Risk\r \r Sure, organ transplants are reserved for sick people, but not if you’re too sick or are going to be in the future. This was the case of a 5-month-old baby boy in 2013, who was born with a heart defect and had already undergone two failed surgeries and was currently in heart failure. The doctors who turned him down claimed it was because his condition put him at risk of tumors and infections. But after some digging, and a co-sign from another doctor, his mother learned that it was really because his condition could lead to serious disabilities in the future.\r \r 2. Father Violated Probation\r \r AJ Burgess was a two-year-old boy who was in desperate need of a kidney transplant due to his premature birth. His father, who was a perfect match, was willing to donate but was instead turned down by the hospital because of his record which showed that previously served time for a parole violation. Apparently they wanted to make sure he was on his best behavior three to four months before the surgery. Luckily though, little Burgess was matched to another kidney and underwent the much needed transplant. \r \r 3. Patients Rejected for Being Too Poor\r \r You could check all the right boxes, but none of that matters if you can’t afford the surgery. In the United States, the average kidney transplant costs between $400,000 and $500,000. For a heart transplant, you’ll need a whopping $1.3 million. Luckily, insurance covers most of the bill, but that still isn’t enough for most people, especially those who don’t have it. A woman named Hedda Martin  is one of the many people who couldn’t afford  her transplant, though the hospital did encourage her to start a GoFundMe to pull in a minimum of at least $10,000.\r \r 4. Faulty Test Results\r \r Diagnostic test errors account for tens of thousands of deaths in America every year, up to 80,000 deaths in 2018 alone. Now when it comes to liver transplants, doctors need to ensure that you’ve kicked your alcoholism to the curb, otherwise you’re just going to ruin the new liver that could’ve gone to someone else. For one woman, she underwent a routine test which came back positive for alcohol, something she hasn't had in a really long time. Turns out that her bladder was to blame, as it was producing its own alcohol. The woman was later reconsidered for a transplant and everything turned out fine!\r \r 5. Intellectual Disabilities\r \r As seen in the first point, hospitals have no problem turning down people with severe physical disabilities. The same is often true for people with serious intellectual disabilities who some believe aren’t deserving of organ transplants as they won’t be able to properly care for themselves. Understandably, many people see this as plain discrimination against the disabled and many petitions have been signed in hopes of turning this around. It’s not even an official rule on hospital rule books yet it’s something that’s practiced till this day.