05-21-2005, 04:49 AM
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Condemned man wants to donate liver to dying sister
Condemned man wants to donate liver to dying sister
Quote:
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind.-- An inmate condemned to die by chemical injection this month is seeking a reprieve at least long enough to donate his liver to his dying sister.
Gregory Scott Johnson is scheduled to die May 25 for the 1985 murder of Ruby Hutslar, an 82-year-old woman from Anderson. Authorities say he beat and stomped on Hutslar, then set a fire to try to hide his crime.
Defense attorneys want Gov. Mitch Daniels to grant Johnson a short reprieve that would allow time for medical tests to determine whether the organ is compatible with Johnson's sister.
Johnson's attorneys already are seeking clemency from Daniels, arguing he might not have been condemned if prosecutors had disclosed evidence that another person might have been at the murder scene. A clemency hearing is scheduled for Monday at the Indiana State Prison.
For now, the state has no opinion on whether the reprieve ought to be granted, Deputy Attorney General Steve Creason said. The attorney general's office will weigh in after Johnson's attorneys argue their case Monday, he said.
Eric Meslin, director of the Indiana University Center for Bioethics, said Johnson's offer puts doctors, lawyers and society in a dilemma.
"You can't donate a liver before you die, because that would kill you and that gets in the way of the state killing you," he said. "And you can't donate organs after you die, because the method of execution would render the organs unusable."
Johnson told The Indianapolis Star during an interview at the prison this week that he wants to donate his liver in hopes of leaving something positive to society.
"'I'm sorry' just doesn't cut it," he said. "All of the same stupid things I've done that I thought wasn't hurting anyone-- at that time in my life, I didn't care. I care now, but it's too late."
Johnson admits he played a significant role in Hutslar's death but says another man who helped him actually killed her.
Johnson's 48-year-old sister, Deborah Otis, lives in an Anderson nursing home.
Michelle Kraus, Johnson's attorney, said his request was not an attempt to delay the execution, saying he cares for his sister.
"She is a mother and a grandmother. She has much to live for," Kraus said.
Kraus said doctors could take a piece of Johnson's liver in what is known as a "split liver" transplant. The remainder of the organ would regenerate and, in time, Johnson would be healthy enough to be put to death.
It could take two weeks to two months to recuperate, said Dr. Joseph Tector of the Indiana University School of Medicine.
About three years have passed since the last time a "split liver" transplant was performed in Indiana because there is a risk to the donor, said Sam Davis, director of professional services at the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization.
Tector said patients' chances of survival are much better if they receive a whole liver.
But unlike some other experts, Tector said the lethal injection of potassium chloride used in Indiana would not necessarily render the liver unusable.
AP
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So what do you think? Does refusing to allow him to donate his liver to his sister effectively sentence her to death? Does allowing him to do it make him some sort of hero and minimize his crime?
Forget the death penalty arguments, he's going to be executed. Should he be allowed to donate his liver?
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