Kidney donation TV game program was hoax
- From: "Juba" <juba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2007 10:11:39 -0700
Juba <juba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message:
vgrbq.79i.17.1@xxxxxxxxxxxx,
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=270023
TV show to offer kidneys as prize
Wednesday May 30 05:00 AEST
By Toby Sterling
ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 2, 2007
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A TV show in which a woman would donate a
kidney to a contestants was revealed as a hoax yesterday, with
presenters saying they were trying to pressure the government into
reforming organ donation laws.
Shortly before the conclusion of the controversial program,Patrick
Lodiers of the "Big Donor Show" said the woman was not actually dying of
a brain tumor and the entire exercise was intended to put pressure on
the government and raise awareness of the need for organs.
The three prospective recipients were real patients in need of
transplants and had been in on the hoax, the show said.
The program concept had received widespread criticism for being
tasteless and unethical.
But Lodiers said that it was "reality that was shocking" because around
200 people die annually in the Netherlands while waiting for a kidney,
and the average waiting time is more than four years.
Under Dutch rules, donors must be friends, or preferably, family of the
recipient. Meeting on a TV show wouldn't qualify.
"I thought it was brilliant, really," said Caroline Klingers, a kidney
patient who was watching the show at a kidney treatment center in
Bussum, Netherlands.
"I know these transplant doctors, and I thought they'll never go and
actually do it. But it's good for the publicity and there are no
losers."
During the show, 25 kidney patients were vetted by "Lisa," and most were
quickly dismissed for being too old, too young, smokers, ex-smokers or
unemployed.
Contestants gave moving pleas for why they should receive the organ.
"It really hurt watching that," said Tim Duyst, whose wife is awaiting a
transplant and cannot work. "You're dismissed in a wave of the hand."
Viewers were called on to express an opinion or vote for their favorite
candidate by SMS text message for 47 cents.
The show was produced by Endemol, which created "Big Brother" in 1999.
The Royal Netherlands Medical Association, known by its Dutch acronym
KNMG, had urged its members not to participate and questioned whether
the program might just be a publicity stunt.
"Given the large medical, psychological, and legal uncertainties around
this case, the KNMG considers the chance extremely small that it will
ever come to an organ transplant," it said.
--
Juba
www.masterjuba.com
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