Chrissy Rivera's daughter, Amelia, has Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. Kidney problems often occur with this condition, as do developmental and/or intellectual disabilities.

Amelia needs a kidney transplant within 6 months to a year.

Otherwise, she may die.

Rivera says Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is refusing to give Amelia the transplant because she is "mentally retarded" and "has brain damage".  Rivera says a doctor told the family Amelia was "not eligible because of her quality of life, because of her mental delays".

The whole story is here:
http://www.wolfhirschhorn.org/2012/01/am...rick-walls

Anyone who wants to protest CHOP's actions?  

CHOP's main toll-free number is 1-800-879-2467.

Dr. Susan Furth is the Chief of the Nephrology (kidney medicine) Department.  Contact her at:

1-267-426-7099

Furths@email.chop.edu

This post was last modified: 01-14-2012 04:58 AM by Meega Na La Queesta.

everyone deserves the chance to live

Because she is mentally retarded? That's the dumbest excuse I ever heard!

it has to be explained to them she will lead a full life, just the same as any NT in her situation.

And here's the Change.org petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/children...to-survive

signed.....

I also signed

Eugenics via circumstance.

Typical inderect barbarism. Where do I sign up?

Also signed. If I didn't know better I'd say those doctors are the ones who are mentally retarded.

Doctors aren't as bright as they think they are.

Anyone dealing with the autism diagnosis or the APA should always be aware of that fact.

I concur

Hmmm. I can see the reason for not giving her a transplant, if there are limited amounts and hers will fail in 12 years (though by that time we're likely to have artificial ones) - it's the dreadful Algebra of Necessity. However, if they're willing to find their own donor, then I see no reason that it should not be done, unless the medications she will have to take will, indeed, be sufficiently dangerous as to pose more of a risk. Still, I think on balance that she should have the transplant, as the probability of death without it is much higher than the probability of death with it, should the family be able to locate a donor.

It's easy to base your decisions on emotions rather than dispassionate logic, but also rather foolish.

That is just sick. Intelligence has nothing to do with happiness.

Well, that depends on your philosophical viewpoint... I'm not a strict utilitarian though, so...

Given how young she is, it may be that there aren't that many kidneys available for transplant that would fit. It would seem likely that there are more children on the waiting list than there are available, in which case I would be forced to recourse to utilitarian logic - if it's a choice between giving her the kidney, or giving another child, who has no brain damage and is unlikely to require another transplant later, the kidney, I would be forced to give the latter child the chance.

Bioethics is harsh, no? Thankfully, I won't have to make decisions like this, most likely - that'll be my doctor friends.