There are many folks in the US who feel strongly about illegal immigration.
Large numbers think immigrants should be denied the priviliges offerd to US citizens like owning US driving licences, collecting food stamps and using Medicare.
But what about having life-saving transplants? Is their a compassionate case to allow these?
Mr. Rojas didn’t jump a fence, or get smuggled into the country. He overstayed his work visa, like 40% of illegal immigrants in the U.S.
And he’s still working. But he is seriously ill.
Mr. Rojas is “an ideal kidney transplant candidate,” according to his nephrologist Venessa Grubbs. He doesn’t smoke, doesn’t use drugs, works as a dishwasher, has young children and a wife. He follows his doctor’s directions – easy on the potassium. He shows up for dialysis. He’s doing everything right under the circumstances.
“Even though transplant promises a significantly longer and better quality of life, I will not refer Mr. Rojas to the transplant center for evaluation, because the only detail that matters in this case is that Mr. Rojas is a poor, undocumented immigrant. And America does not give transplants to poor, undocumented immigrants.”
The stakes are high. Sarai Rodriguez, a twenty-five year old in need of a liver transplant, died after being refused a spot on the waiting list because of her undocumented status.
In August of last year, twenty immigrants went on a hunger strike outside Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago to protest the policy with little to show for their actions thus far.
So it seems the only way Mr. Rojas can get a transplant is by way of a miracle.
Such a miracle happened to Jesus Navarro. He finally received a transplant after a wealthy kidney recipient created a Change.org petition on his behalf. 100,000 signatures later Navarro’s hospital felt the pressure and performed the procedure.
It’s nice to think the public will come to the rescue of Mr. Rojas and others like him… but the odds are not good.
What to do? Should we lift the limits on such life-saving operations?
