Reference no: EM132932611

A 23 year old autistic man with a congenital heart defect was denied a heart transplant from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania last summer. His mental disabilities were a factor in their decision.

According to a spokesperson for the hospital, "when individuals are referred for transplant consideration at Penn or any other certified transplant center, all aspects of their medical status would be reviewed. This includes the current health status and post-transplant prognosis of the recipient, the impact of other existing health problems on the success of the surgery itself and over the longer term, as well as the potential interaction between a patient's existing drug therapies and the drugs that would be necessary to stop transplant rejection."

Read the story located at the following link, and then consider this question for the class discussion: Should a person's mental condition be a significant factor in deciding eligibility for a heart or other major organ transplant? Why or why not?

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/autistic-man-denied-heart-transplant-upenn-hospital/story?id=17006152