Parents Taking Organs from their Children (Even Adults) is Inappropriate, amirite?

I would give a kidney to have my Dad back and talk to him for a day, let alone a decade.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Again, it's understandable why the (adult) child would choose to do this--I'm asking why medical professionals see it as beneficial.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Because it is not their job to make that decision

by Makayla81 3 months ago

It... is though? Doctors approve and sign off on all organ donations as far as I am aware.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

It's their jobs to save lives.

by Prudent_Bullfrog6841 3 months ago

They also follow family wishes. Most healthcare dollars are spent during the last year of life. They go to great lengths to keep some old people alive. (Not just organ transplant) So if the family wants it and the patient needs it, especially if that organ isn't going to be donated to someone else, who is the doctor to say no

by Extreme_Daikon_5113 3 months ago

Yes it their job to determine the medical implications of a procedure. Is the procedure medically safe? Is it medically necessary? It is not their job to make a moral decision for others. I am a 60M and I would not take a transplant from either of my 20 something kids. But that is my choice and the donators choice to make not the doctors

by Makayla81 3 months ago

But don't you feel like your kids would want to make that donation--and would potentially feel guilty if they didn't do it? Which then puts them in a terrible position of not necessarily making the best decisions for themselves.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Taking? I'm pretty sure they choose to give them.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Obviously it's a choice, but it's not a rational choice made by a person who is neutral. I understand why people want to give organs to their parents. What I don't understand is why this is acceptable medical practice, as it has life-long health impacts for the person who is statistically going to live a lot longer.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

An 80 year old would almost certainly not be given a kidney from anyone because in order to have the transplant done you need to be likely to survive the process and live. You haven't given a sane or realistic example. A more realistic example is a 30 year old giving their 55 year old parent a kidney. The parent could then live another twenty years or more. The kid would be moved up the transplant list if they ever needed a transplant. That being said when I worked in dialysis such cases were very, very uncommon. More common to see a sibling or parent give a kidney. Doctors trust adults to be able to make informed decisions.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

I have seen plenty of 70 year olds get kidneys from their children. It does happen. And it's pretty selfish of the parent to take it.

by concepcion93 3 months ago

🤨 Wild. Can't relate. Are you in renal care?

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Rich people get to do whatever they want. They're not normal at all. There was a billionaire who got 3 hearts in his 80s.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Yeah, but at least there aren't a bunch of 80 year olds yoinking their kids organs. It's a select population of people with Rich Person entitlement.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Glad to hear it--this and that blood-taking dude really creep me out.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

I don't care as long as my parent is alive.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Tbf they will still be alive if they don't get a kidney, they just have to take meds, follow a pretty strict diet, and do dialysis 3x week for 4 hours that mega sucks. If they need a liver lobe and they don't get one they do straight up die tho.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Giving a kidney doesn't compromise your life. You can live normally with just one. So why not give your loved parent a decade or two of life? You won't have another parent.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

You can live normally, you just can't take certain medications, you can't eat certain foods, you should avoid contact sports, you're at risk of decreased kidney function and high blood pressure... I'm not saying it's like a death sentence or anything, but that it has negative health impacts on the donor that don't need to occur.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Dying is a pretty negative health effect.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

And whoever decided to give that kidney has decided that was worth it for them to spend another however many years with their parents.

by luettgendamian 3 months ago

High blood pressure vs mom dying? I would choose the former with 100% certainty.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

What about your mom being on dialysis? Because I understand without kidneys it's not certain death (although I am not any sort of medical professional).

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

5-year survival of patients on dialysis is about 50%, with terrible quality of life.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

The five year survival rates of all 80 year olds is also 50%.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

I think this is a 'none of your business' take. why does it matter if a 50 year old daughter would give a kidney to save her 80 year old father? any time you can have with an elderly family member you love is precious. so what if she chooses to have her father around for another 10-15 years?

by ProfessionalPost 3 months ago

Obviously emotionally it makes sense to her--but extrapolate that to her own (theoretical) children, who might lose time with their mother as a result of her wanting more time with her father.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

I'm not doctor - but I'm pretty sure a person can still live a decent life with one less non-essential organ. A doctor wouldn't take an organ and give it to someone else if it would greatly affect that person's life - and if it does, they would advise the person of the risks, and its then their decision to make. If the daughter wants to give up a kidney for her dad, it won't kill her or affect her time with her own theoretical children.

by ProfessionalPost 3 months ago

I get where they're coming from, having all of your non essential organs basically means you have backup in some cases. Like if one kidney starts to fail, you've got another to keep you going. So, technically, it does pose a greater risk for the rest of their life.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Usually the renal system declines together, so if one kidney is failing, usually the other is failing as well. So you don't really have a "backup" just sitting there waiting on the sidelines. There are exceptions, but having two vs one is not as massive an impact as you think.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Why do people think this is good? Why do you think your opinion matters at all regarding two adults choices?

by Makayla81 3 months ago

I do, do you? Did you think it was going to be an echo chamber where everyone just agrees with your unpopular opinion? Can you answer the question I asked? Why do you think others should think as you do? You seem to respect life and the importance of it but you don't seem to respect others autonomy.

by Makayla81 3 months ago

the only organ donation I disagree with is doner siblings. People born to give blood, organs, stem cells and everything else to their sibling with no consent from the child. But a grown women donating a kidney to her sibling? or her parent? that's fine, she's old enough to know the risks.

by velma35 3 months ago

Totally agree on donor siblings. That's really super concerning in my opinion. Turning it around, if you were a parent, how would you feel about your child donating to you?

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Yeah, but I think there's an aspect of it beyond that--like especially if you're not a terrible parent, most people would feel an obligation to try to help their parents, the same way I would financially support my parents if they needed it.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Glad to have a selfless child. I am a registred organ donor so the more the better.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

I'm also a registered organ donor, but I can't imagine taking an organ from my child.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

As another registred future organ donor I agree with you. I wanted to give blood too, but couldn't due to iron anemia.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Because I want to take care of my parents.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

People have autonomy. If someone consents to donating an organ despite the risk, that's between them and who they donate to.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

What a selfish attitude. I feel sorry for your the people who raised you.

by Imaginary_Cry_9737 3 months ago

Energy received. Go drink some water, your kidneys will thank you.

by Imaginary_Cry_9737 3 months ago

You want others to act how you would That is selfish

by Makayla81 3 months ago

I think as a parent, I would never accept an organ donation from my child, because I think it is selfish. I am not saying I wouldn't want to donate an organ to one of my parents if they needed one (luckily I've never been in that circumstance, so I don't know). But I know neither of my parents would accept an organ from their children because they want the best for us.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

I would, if the doctors think they can have a good life.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

I would never accept an organ donation from my child, because I think it is selfish. Depending on the specifics I pretty much agree with that. But once we start trying to get others to act the way we would we become the selfish ones even if we feel it is for the greater good.

by Makayla81 3 months ago

Same.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

I feel sorry for your kids, since you're apparently fine harvesting them for organs.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Like, an 80 year old man taking a kidney donation from his 50-year old daughter That's offal..

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Lol. I see what you did there.

by Imaginary_Cry_9737 3 months ago

Agree, completely heartless.

by Vast-Wolverine-9119 3 months ago

Mind you, such a situation could arise completely organically. 🤷

by Vast-Wolverine-9119 3 months ago

Exactly--I cannot imagine as a parent being okay with that.

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

Personal relationships are at play here as well? I would do almost anything for my Mum. It's a choice.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

But that's the thing--you would do almost anything for your mother because you love her--turning that around, wouldn't you as a parent not want to put your child at risk?

by kailynlemke 3 months ago

i agree, cos i've never understood the concept that when a person has a problem, this problem can be translated to another person and nobody bats an eye, i think it's selfish, silly, and dehumanizing, if you have a problem, i hope that the system does anything in its power to solve it, but it can't become the problem of another person, it's not even solving it

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Family comes before the system, some of you just suck as children.

by Anonymous 3 months ago

first of all i'm not comparing those two things, second, if i'd be the 80yo father i'd not accept a kidney form my daughter, i'd be an egoist asshole, third, thanks, you're so nice

by Anonymous 3 months ago

Thank you for sharing your opinion. I think you have raised an interesting point. An 80 year old having kidney transplant surgery... there might be some upper age limits, most 80 year old will have higher surgical risk, comorbidities etc. It does raise some ethical issues doesn't it? Is it really done without some sort of guilt and expectation on the child regardless of age? The whole parent/child dynamic - one is in a position of elder and authority in many cultures. Thanks for sharing your unpopular opinion.

by Vast-Wolverine-9119 3 months ago