'Unethical': HHS report reveals organ harvesting while patients still show signs of life

A shocking report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report is casting fresh scrutiny on the U.S. organ transplant system, revealing that in some cases, organ procurement began while patients still showed signs of life.

Dr. Joseph Varon, who is the president and chief medical officer of the Independent Medical Alliance, described it as the “commodification of human life.” He said he is a “very strong supporter” of ethical organ donations but added that stricter guidelines need to be implemented.

“The system has allowed the value of a person -- of an actual human being -- to be reduced to the commercial value of a pair of organs,” Varon said during an interview with The National News Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat on Wednesday.

“The new HHS report actually confirmed what many of us have been warning about. There are a bunch of cases where they start procuring organs when the patient is still alive. For example, they have spontaneous breathing, they have brain reflexes, or they have or they have incomplete testing. So, once you start treating a body as a part of an event as more than anything else, you are losing your dignity. And that’s a line that the current healthcare system should never cross,” he added.

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