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mvansand76:
Hi all,

Yesterday controversial Dutch broadcaster BNN aired the Grote Donor Show. The outrage in Holland and in the world about this show was enormous and several parties asked BNN not to broadcast this, but they did last night. In this show, one terminally ill woman was going to donate one of her kidneys to one of three kidney patients. The three patients were there and they all tried to convince her to give the kidney to her/him. Just when, after 1,5 hours, this woman, Lisa was going to tell the audience who she had chosen, the lights went on in the studio and the presenter turned toward the camera and told everybody that it was not real, that it was a hoax and that they were not giving away a kidney. The three patients knew this and Lisa was an actress. Quite a way to pull the attention towards a big problem: the shortage of donors. I thought it was absolutely brilliant!

Here is an article about it on the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6714287.stm

Are you a donor? If not, what keeps you from filling in that donor form? It could be because, like in Holland, the definition of brain dead is not clear.

Let me know!

Mel

opinionista:
I just saw this in Yahoo news.

--------------------------

Kidney transplant TV show is a hoax
By TOBY STERLING, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jun 2, 2:42 AM ET

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A television show in which a woman would donate a kidney to a contestants was revealed as a hoax Friday, with presenters saying they were trying to pressure the government into reforming organ donation laws.

Shortly before the controversial program was to air, Patrick Lodiers of the "Big Donor Show" said the woman was not actually dying of a brain tumor and the entire exercise was intended to put pressure on the government and raise awareness of the need for organs.

The three prospective recipients were real patients in need of transplants and had been in on the hoax, the show said.

The program concept had received widespread criticism for being tasteless and unethical.

But Lodiers said that it was "reality that was shocking" because around 200 people die annually in the Netherlands while waiting for a kidney, and the average waiting time is more than four years. Under Dutch rules, donors must be friends, or preferably, family of the recipient. Meeting on a TV show wouldn't qualify.

"I thought it was brilliant, really," said Caroline Klingers, a kidney patient who was watching the show at a kidney treatment center in Bussum, Netherlands.

"I know these transplant doctors, and I thought they'll never go and actually do it. But it's good for the publicity and there are no losers."

During the show, 25 kidney patients were vetted by "Lisa," and most were quickly dismissed for being too old, too young, smokers, ex-smokers or unemployed. Contestants gave moving pleas for why they should receive the organ.

"It really hurt watching that," said Tim Duyst, whose wife is awaiting a transplant and cannot work. "You're dismissed in a wave of the hand."

Viewers were called on to express an opinion or vote for their favorite candidate by SMS text message for 47 cents.

The show was produced by Endemol, which created "Big Brother" in 1999.

The Royal Netherlands Medical Association, known by its Dutch acronym KNM, had urged its members not to participate and questioned whether the program might just be a publicity stunt.

"Given the large medical, psychological, and legal uncertainties around this case, the KNMG considers the chance extremely small that it will ever come to an organ transplant," it said.

All seven of the country's transplant centers had said they not cooperating with the program, KNMG spokeswoman Saskia van der Ree.

Earlier in the week, the Cabinet declined suggestions from lawmakers to ban the program, saying that would amount to censorship.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070602/ap_en_tv/netherlands_organ_show

Lynne:
My drivers license is signed indicating I'm an organ donor, and I have a living will and power-of-attorney expressing those same wishes.  It's my inner control freak at work, but it scares me to think of decisions being made without my input.

David In Indy:
Yes, I am a donor, Melissa. But I've been told they sometimes won't take organs from gay people. I know they don't want our blood. I went down to donate blood on 9/11 and I was told I couldn't.

If they don't want our blood, they probably don't want our organs either.

mvansand76:

--- Quote from: David on June 02, 2007, 11:16:52 pm ---Yes, I am a donor, Melissa. But I've been told they sometimes won't take organs from gay people. I know they don't want our blood. I went down to donate blood on 9/11 and I was told I couldn't.

If they don't want our blood, they probably don't want our organs either.

--- End quote ---

Really? That's crazy! Everybody who signs up to donate blood gets the same tests, right?

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