Take Another Little Piece Of My Kidney Now, Baby
Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company were ahead of their time, if a little off in their anatomy. A New York surgeon wants custody of the kidney he donated to his estranged wife in 2001 - or cash.
A New York surgeon’s demand for the return of the kidney he donated to his now-estranged wife — or at least $1.5 million for it — has transplant experts wondering what he is thinking.
Richard Batista, a surgeon at Nassau University Medical Center on Long Island, says that he is seeking compensation for the kidney he donated to his wife, Dawnell, in 2001. Richard Batista says she began having an extramarital affair after the transplant.
“There’s no deeper pain or betrayal from somebody you loved and devoted your whole life to,” he told reporters Wednesday.
Richard Batista said he went public with his request after becoming frustrated with ongoing divorce negotiations.
The demand is, how shall we put this, unethical in terms of current donor law and practice. A living transplant is a gift, anything else smacks of organ selling. Ethics experts are not amused by Batista’s demands.
Maybe the couple should kiss and make up and take a second honeymoon - a cruise around the isles of Langerhans.
(I never thought I’d get to use that one in a blog post.)
By Sam L., January 9, 2009 @ 8:57 am
When an opportunity walks right up to you with a “hit me out of the park” sign on it, I say “Go For It!”
By sam, January 9, 2009 @ 10:28 am
This totally wipes out the good deed he did by donating the kidney in the first place. When he gave it to her, it became hers - literally. He no longer has a claim on the organ.
BTW, why are there so many Sams commenting here? What’s up?
By martian, January 9, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
“has transplant experts wondering what he is thinking.”
He’s thinking he is emotionally devastated that the woman to whom he gave his kidney would go out and cheat on him and he just wants to hit back at her by going after the one thing that symbolized his devotion to her more than anything else - his donated kidney. Of course the court will tell him no. He likely assumed that when he made the demand. But making the demand allows him to publicly humiliate her and make her look like the most ungrateful wretch who ever lived - on national television. And what can she possibly say in her own defense? It’s the perfect revenge.
By the way, Gaius, nice try with the Isles of Langerhans but that’s the pancreas - wrong organ.
By Gaius, January 9, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
I’m well aware of where they are. It was a proximity thing.
By feeblemind, January 9, 2009 @ 9:46 pm
I am guessing he doesn’t really want her/his kidney back. He is likely using this as a ploy to reduce the amount of money he has to pay in the settlement.
By martian, January 11, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
Gotcha, Gaius, proximity it is - like a fuse on an air to air missile.