Quebecer offers bargain on diseased pancreas, raises ethical concerns
Reported February 12, 2008
MONTREAL – A Quebec man trying to hawk his diseased pancreas over the Internet has found it is a buyer’s market for hypoglycemic organs.
Mario Meunier, of Riviere-du-Loup, Que., is hoping to raise awareness about a glucose deficiency known as nesidioblastosis, and cash in on his rare pancreatic problem at the same time.
Meunier was originally seeking $1.5 million through the online auction house EBay. The website removed the posting earlier this month, within days of it going online.
“We have a human remains and body parts policy that is strictly enforced,” said EBay spokeswoman Erin Sufrin.
Meunier promptly slashed his price to $500,000 and re-posted his offer with BidOfferBuy.com, an online company that sells through EBay.
By Monday, however, his proposal once again appeared on EBay and at the relative bargain of $75,000.
What exactly Meunier is offering for the $75,000 is unclear, though he does propose to serve as a research consultant for that price.
An earlier version of the ad on the BidOfferBuy site suggests he is offering much more than just his expertise.
“I need serious help…I want to do something to cure it (nesidioblastosis) or stop it,” the posting reads. “As a matter of fact, I’m so decided (sic) to help that I would be ready to place my pancreas at the disposal of serious researchers.”
According to a separate website maintained by Meunier, he developed nesidioblastosis after a gastric bypass for obesity in 2000.
Until recently medical researchers considered nesidioblastosis, or persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia of infancy (PHHI), rare among adults. Severe forms of the disease can cause brain damage or even death.
Meunier claims his onset was caused by the gastric bypass and wants to open the door to more research to explore the link.
“This nesidioblastosis has not only ravaged my plans for a career, forcing me to stop my (nurse’s) training, but now completely prevents me from working,” his website reads.
But Meunier’s pleas for a better understanding of his condition are unlikely to arouse much compassion among medical ethicists, troubled as they are by the hefty price tag he’s attached to his pancreas.
“I don’t think there is a hospital that would risk doing that kind of operation and expose themselves to legal risks.” said Pierre Deschamps, a law professor at McGill University specializing in biomedical ethics.
“There are certain taboos that still exist in society and one of them is to sell your organs to another person, because the potential for abuse exists,” added Deschamps, who also serves on the federal government’s advisory panel for research ethics. “We don’t want to head towards a society where you can offer your organs to the highest bidder.”
Meunier, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, was reportedly prompted to market his pancreas after visiting a Montreal hospital ahead of a pancreatectomy.
He balked when informed he couldn’t take possession of the organ following the surgery.
There have been a select few cases in Quebec where patients claimed ownership of body parts after a surgery, but did so for artistic reasons. Those incidents raised a somewhat disturbing precedent for Deschamps.
“That someone would want to take off with pancreas is rather unusual and I think we need to exercise prudence,” he said. “Taken to the extreme, somebody could have their leg amputated and tell the doctor ‘I like my leg so much I’m going to take it home with me and put in the refrigerator.”
Source : The Canadian Press