Court Orders Procurement of Organs from Donor

In the first time Lifeline of Ohio has had to go to court,the organ-procurement agency won the right to harvest the organs of a21-year-old Columbus man despite his family’s objections.

Elijah Smith ended up on artificial life support after he wasstruck while riding his bicycle.  Afterbeing declared legally dead, Lifeline of Ohio was notified Smith chose to be anorgan and tissue donor when applying for his driver’s license.  However, Smith’s family claimed he did notunderstand the choice he had made and told Lifeline they did not consent to theharvesting of his organs.

Lifeline then requested a court order to proceed with theprocurement, citing Ohio’s law barring anyone other than the donor fromamending or revoking organ donations.

See AllisonManning, Family Loses Fight to Keep Son’sOrgans from Donation, The Columbus Dispatch, July 12, 2013.