Death Row Inmate Prohibited From Donating Kidney To Ailing Mother

Death row inmate Ronald Phillips got turned downed by the state of Ohio after he requested to donate his kidney to his ailing mother, Reuters reports.

Philips, 40, requested for his kidney and other organs to be transplanted to those who needed them, including the inmate’s mother who suffered from kidney complications.

The inmate’s request was denied after he failed to undergo kidney transplant during the allotted time the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections gave him.

In a statement directed to the death row prisoner’s lawyer, the department said:

“It appears certain Mr. Phillips will not be undergoing any organ donations and transplantation surgery on or before March 23, 2014”

There is also a high possibility that the inmate won’t be able to donate his organs after his execution, according to the Ohio officials who managed the department, saying that his organ donations might not be honored by “federally approved procurement and/or hospital transplant center”.

Phillip’s mother is currently not on the waiting list for organ donations. Additionally, no hospitals are actively requesting the death row inmate to donate his kidney to his sickly mother.

Ronald Philips is currently on death row for raping and murdering a three-year-old girl. His execution was moved by Governor John Kasich from November last year to June this year so the inmate can make arrangements regarding the use of his organs. The decision garnered much controversy, mainly because of the heinous nature of the crimes Phillips committed.

In a statement last November, the governor said:

“I realize this is a bit of uncharted territory for Ohio, but if another life can be saved by his willingness to donate his organs and tissues then we should allow for that to happen,”

The delay on his execution was announced less than 24 hours before he was supposed to go under lethal injection. The inmate’s new schedule of execution will be on July 2, 2014.

According to ABC News last November, Phillips wanted his kidneys to go to his mother, who was on dialysis, and his heart to his sister, who suffered from a heart condition.

Organ donations are not uncommon within the prison’s death row population. However, prisons in most states prohibit people from death row from donating organs to anyone outside their immediate family. Transplant centers also discourage the use of organs harvested from inmates.

As of 2013, all organ donations of death row inmates have been rejected by their respective states.