Dick Cheney's Heart Transplant

[Honey Badger]

I saw an interesting question the other day.

"Should Dick Cheney have received a donor heart? OR should it have gone to a younger recipient?"

I am not the type to begrudge a life, I guess my issue is not knowing if anyone else was in line for the donation and got bumped because of who Cheney was.

Well.... What is your take on all this? Should the age of the person receiving the organ be a discriminator?

 

[Jack T.]

so the question you are asking is: should society place value on life based on age/sex/race/gender?

 

[RidgeHunter]

so the question you are asking is: should society place value on life based on age/sex/race/gender?

I think the question was just about age, not sex, race or gender.

OP, Cheney waited 20 months for a transplant. I don't think he bumped anyone because of who he was. The age question is another issue. I dunno on that one.

 

[tntrex]

so the question you are asking is: should society place value on life based on age/sex/race/gender?

and should society place value on life based on ones bank account?

 

[RidgeHunter]

and should society place value on life based on ones bank account?

We do.

 

[JD8]

Overall health and habits should be the main consideration IMO.

 

[RidgeHunter]

Maybe Cheney should have gotten priority for the undue stress that watching Bush II speak in public for 8 years placed on his heart.

Since we haven't had a Cheney thread in a while I think I have to post my favorite Cheney moments.

 

[Jack T.]

Yes, the question was about age (and I wasn't trying to start a fight with the OP), but the point I was making was why should we place a value on life based on something the person cannot control. Like their age. Or what color they are. Or what gender they are.

 

[RidgeHunter]

Yes, the question was about age (and I wasn't trying to start a fight with the OP), but the point I was making was why should we place a value on life based on something the person cannot control. Like their age. Or what color they are. Or what gender they are.

That's a totally invalid comparison though, because there is a health/viability component that goes hand-in-hand with age. Not so with gender or race.

Anyways, I agree with GMT. Overall health, urgency, habits and likelihood of the transplant being successful should be the main considerations. And I think that's pretty much how they do it. Cheney is 71, and I think it'll probably work for him for a decent amount of time. 71 is not all that old.

 

[KOPBET]

That's between Cheney and his doctor. Everyone else should but TF out.