3/5/16 Daily Mail:
Women whose
babies develop fatal defects in the early stages of pregnancy will be
given advice on going ahead with the birth so the NHS can harvest their organs, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Most
expectant mothers opt for termination after being told the devastating
news their child has no chance of survival once born.
But
now, amid a chronic shortage of donated organs, mums will be
'supported' to have the baby at nine months so that the child's vital
organs can be taken for transplant.
Last night
the proposal sparked an ethical debate – with one critic describing it
as a 'ghoulish suggestion' that would undermine public confidence in
organ donation.
The
move was revealed at a medical conference where NHS transplant surgeons
said they wanted to take more organs from babies nationally to address a
dire shortage.
As
part of this drive, midwives and other NHS workers are to be educated
about the potential for using babies' organs in transplants.
In the past two years, only 11 babies under two months have become organ donors. But doctors believe they could raise that figure to around 100 a year.
Larry Niven wrote a terrifying story about a future where criminals are disassembled for their transplantable parts. At the end we find out the crime was jaywalking.
I remember that story. I had forgotten the author and the title, which makes finding it a little hard.
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