How Much For The Kidney?

The Street Hustle                 

The biggest compliment Judaism bestows upon any human being is neatly encapsulated in a Talmudic saying: “He who saves one life, saves the world entire.”

A beautiful thought for actions that some consider heroic i.e. Oskar Schindler and others consider flat out stupid i.e. anyone who pulls a person who fell or jumped onto the train tracks away from the third rail.  There is one thing everyone, even the most cynical bastards pretty much agrees upon: organ donation is a good thing.

Whether it is a kidney, a part of the liver or bone marrow, done alive or dead, organ donations are increasing and that is a good thing.  The more lives saved the better, right?

Leave it to the legal profession to demand compensation for a selfless act.  In New York, a man whose wife filed for divorce in 2005 is demanding the kidney he donated to her in 2001 back. He realizes his demand is not doable so he’ll accept $1.5 million instead.

You have to love the chutzpah here.  When they were married, he wanted her alive but now that it’s over, he’ll take the cash value.  The attorney who came up with this scam ought to be disbarred but he/she will probably get a commendation from the ABA for creative thinking.

Oh, and Richard Batista, the man in question, is a MEDICAL DOCTOR.  No word on if the AMA is going to beat him with the Hippocratic oath.