Organs From Death Row Inmates?
Years after being sentenced to death for murdering his wife and kids, Christian Longo decided on a way that he could make amends for his heinous crimes. He decided that he wants to donate his organs. The thing is, he’s on death row, so he can’t. The US Department of Prisons prohibits inmates from being organ donors. Not surprisingly, Longo is now on a mission to change this. The man seems to love being “relevant”.
When I first heard that Christian Longo wanted to donate his organs, I figured it was nothing more than a bid to get attention. Personally, I still think he’s full of shit. I don’t believe that he is remorseful. I don’t believe that he wants to make amends. I know people can change but I won’t ever believe that Christian Longo is one of those people. Now, I’m no professional and I could very well have it all wrong, but I’ve had some experience with a narcissistic man in the past and from what I’ve seen, they never change.
That being said, who cares if he’s sincere? Regardless of his motives or agenda, he’s raised something thought-provoking. Why shouldn’t death row inmates be permitted to donate their organs, if they so choose? I happen to think this is something that should be allowed. I know there are many different factors including ethical ones that come into play here, but my thinking is more along the lines of; if we have the means and the money to go to space, clone a sheep, and transplant a pig’s heart into a human being then we have the means and the money to make this type of program happen and be successful.
We need more organ donors. That’s a fact. More organ donors mean more lives saved, and I don’t see how that’s a bad thing. It could be done on a strictly voluntary basis just like it is in any other situation. Only 3 out of every 1,000 people die in a way that allows for organ donation and about 58% of Americans are registered organ donors. It seems as if allowing death row inmates to register as organ donors (and implementing a program to make it actually happen) would increase the number of viable donor organs in the United States — and I’m 100% for it.
Whether Christian Longo truly wants to make amends or not really holds no weight for me in this debate. He continues to be irrelevant as anything other than a family annihilator to me. The countless lives that could be saved are what I care about. I’m wondering what others think of this. Where do you stand on this topic? Is this something that you’ve thought about before? Do you believe that death row inmates should have the option of donating their organs if all the other requirements are met? Do you think it’s just a bad idea and the rules should remain as they are? Please share your thoughts with me, I love to hear from you!
This is honestly a topic that I’ve only recently put more thought into. We started Season 3 of our podcast with the Christian Longo case and we discussed his opinion piece in the New York Times, which you can read below (for free). I realized that he does make some valid points and after spending time thinking about it and also listening to the opinions of my cohosts, I feel like it’s something that the Department of Prisons should seriously rethink for the greater good of humanity. I’d love to hear what YOU think, so please share your thoughts in the comments section!
You can listen to all of our episodes at The Good Wives Guide To True Crime. If you’d like to start with the Longo series, begin with Episode 1 of Season 3, Christian Longo: Loving Father or Narcissistic Sociopath. For more true crime, including new episodes of Lipstick, Lashes, and Lies, head over to our Youtube channel, Murder By Design.
Originally published at http://madgingerentertainment.com.
