PORTLAND, Maine - Doctors at Maine Medical Center have expressed frustration at how a fund-raising effort on behalf of a kidney donor is potentially delaying a life-saving transplant.
"We want nothing more than to match potential donors with their recipients," said Dr. John Vella at a news conference Thursday in Portland.
But, said Vella of Maine Med's Transplant Program, a law passed in 1984 to prevent anyone from profiting from organ donation has led to an unprecedented legal situation.
Vella says the problem is that an online fund-raising effort to help the donor pay his expenses has reportedly raised more than $40,000 - nearly seven times the original goal.
This triggers ethical concerns related to the National Organ Transplant Act, which makes it illegal to sell organs. But Vella makes it clear the donor - identified by the press as Josh Dall-Leighton of Windham - is not accused of trying to profit from the situation.
Vella says Maine Med is seeking legal advice about how best to proceed without breaking the law.