So her father had his vasectomy reversed and the mother risked a mid- life birth to provide a potential donor. Medical ethicist and pediatrician Norman Fost of the University of Wisconsin in Madison recounted another case in which a family had a child ostensibly to provide a kidney donor for their ill son. At age 14, their daughter successfully donated one of her kidneys to her brother and the two now have a special bond, Fost said. The image that the press and others often convey about this is one of body parts, as a means to an end, with the part used and then the rest discarded. Other medical ethicists voiced diverse views on the issues.
People have children for lots of reasons and sometimes for no reason at all.
Caplan said parents should be counseled for possible disappointment if a donor child were born with defects of its own or with an abnormality that made donation impossible. Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All Rights Reserved.