Dutch TV Contestants Vie for Kidney

The Dutch continue to stun with their fall off a vertical bioethical cliff: In this installment, a television show will soon air in which three ill contestants vie for the right to the kidney of a terminally ill woman. From the story in the UK’s Guardian:

In the show, due to be broadcast on Friday, a woman identified only as Lisa, 37, will select a recipient based on their history, profile and conversations with their families and friends. Throughout the 80-minute show, viewers will be invited to send Lisa text messages to advise her.

This is voyeurism on a scale that boggles the mind. It turns the serious issue of the ethics of organ transplant into a game show. It denies intrinsic human dignity in that it pits desperate people against each other, clawing and kicking—metaphorically speaking—for life. What kind of a physician would be willing to be part of such a spectacle?

Hey! Here’s an idea: Maybe in the next show they can tie the organ contest with a televised assisted suicide! That would garner the ratings.

But, why worry: It’s just “choice,” right?