Bad publicity, good cause
Is it justifiable? By now you’ve probably heard about the news: this Friday in Holland, a state-sponsored network will be airing “The Donor Show”, in which 3 dying candidates between the ages of 18 and 40 compete for the kidney of a woman who wants to give one up. Viewers can SMS (text message) the woman giving up the kidney to influence her decision of who will receive it. Holland is famous for exploring the limits of liberality, as well as promoting health and the environment, but this seems to top it all.
The Justification
The network justifies the show with a number of reasons that witness of good intention:
- The network’s founder, a much-loved Dutch folk hero, died after failure to receive a donor kidney in time
- There is no such thing as bad publicity when it comes to organ donation. Just getting people to react to the concept of the show is enough to motivate many people to make sure they register themselves as organ donor.
- A broad recognition of the critical lack of donor organs is necessary and this is an effective way to create that.
The Objections
- The leading party of the Dutch government, the CDA, officially objected to the show on ethical grounds and tried to use political pressure to prevent it from being aired (to no success, such things take much longer than a week to achieve in Holland)
- Around Europe, the media have criticized the show as being macabre and darkly spectacular
Tonight I went online to the German website where I can print out my donor ID online. I was a donor in the US around 8 years ago but since my move to Europe hadn’t registered myself anymore. Maybe that already says enough about the effect of the Donor Show, but does the end justify the means?
on May 31st, 2007 at 22:29
The only thing I can hope for is that it prompts enough people to register as donors that the two “losers” either receive kidneys soon that way, or some super-kind souls who ‘match’, donate kidneys to them. Here’s hoping.
on June 1st, 2007 at 0:06
i find this way over the top and un taste full.
on June 1st, 2007 at 1:43
Wow. That would never happen over here.
on June 1st, 2007 at 13:24
seriously wrong. how’s that saying go? …the worst atrocities from the best intentions?
on June 1st, 2007 at 17:59
After mulling this over a bit, I’ve decided that it is incorrect and unethical to make a spectable out of death or the process of dying. Essentially, that is what this show is doing - since the two people who don’t “win” the kidney will end up dying unless they get a donor kidney - and that is morbidly fascinating to the audience who watches this show. Which is sick.
on June 1st, 2007 at 21:11
yeah, i just didn’t want to use that word.
on June 2nd, 2007 at 17:15
Apparently it was all a big publicity stunt, much to my relief. I assume you probably heard of the reports [ie the donee was actually a paid actress, etc] before we did, though!
on June 3rd, 2007 at 11:08
Yes, it was a hoax!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6714063.stm
And a good one too…