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A Colorado-based health care system has sparked heated debate after refusing organ transplants to unvaccinated patients, saying these people are much more likely to die of complications if they contract COVID-19. The system came under fire after an unvaccinated woman claimed she was refused a kidney transplant after the hospital learned of her vaccination status, which then gave her 30 days to reconsider her decision and get vaccinated .
After further investigation, UCHealth said they would refuse organ transplants in “almost any situation” where the patient is not vaccinated and also claimed that other transplant institutions have similar policies.
Although the patient was not named by the hospital, a Colorado Springs woman came forward claiming it was her and expressing outrage at the situation and said she was “forced to make a decision that I am not comfortable making. now to live, ”according to 9News.
However, with the US organ transplant system under such pressure, it is likely that transplant centers will continue this policy. Currently, there are over 106,000 men, women and children on the transplant waiting list, the vast majority of whom need a kidney. In 2020, more than 91,000 people needed kidney transplants, but only 22,000 received one, as a donor shortage continues to strain the U.S. healthcare system. As a result, organs are often prioritized to ensure the best chance of success, and rules such as vaccination requirements are not uncommon.
According to 9News, the patient’s objection stems from “religious reasons” and opposes the use of fetal cell lines often used in vaccine development – while cell lines are originally derived from elective interruptions there. decades ago, they are now simply cultivated from this cell line. No fetus is harmed in the development of modern vaccines.
The woman and her potential donor must now find other arrangements, as they have been turned away from similar institutions in the region for the same reasons. COVID-19 is particularly dangerous in kidney transplant recipients, with a broad review identifying a dramatic increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the year following the transplant. As such, mitigation strategies – the best of which is the vaccine – are now needed to prevent patients from contracting the disease.
The selective distribution of health care is one of the most controversial issues in medicine. Current medical guidelines indicate that it is extremely unethical to deny patient care because of their ideologies and (in many cases) their lifestyle, but transplants pose a more difficult question. With around 1 kidney for every 5 patients who need it, should this organ be preferred to patients who are doing everything they can to ensure its success? Such exclusions exist in other organ transplants – to receive a donor lung, patients often need to be free from tobacco and other substances, such as marijuana, for 6 months. Along with this, these requirements also include vaccinations, including hepatitis B vaccines in the UK.
[H/T: Washington Post]
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