Convicted Rapist Evaluated for Heart Transplant

[cali]

Rochester, N.Y - There are 49 people on the waiting list for a new heart at Strong Memorial Hospital.

13WHAM News has learned that a convicted rapist serving up to 40 years in prison, is being evaluated for a possible heart transplant.

Kenneth Pike, 55, was convicted in 1996 of raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old girl in Auburn, N.Y. He is serving his sentence at a state prison in Greene County.

Law Enforcement sources indicated that Pike was flown by Mercyflight to Strong last week and is being evaluated for a heart transplant.

Patient Information, a service at Strong Hospital, confirmed they have a patient by the name of Kenneth Pike who is in guarded condition.

<snip>

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Convicted-Rapist-Being-Evaluated-For-Heart-Transpl/-J91Gfh4rE-ckPbDo11jXw.cspx


Nope, sorry, I don't think he should get a new heart.

[LoZoccolo]

1. This is why I am squarely against single-payer; people will start weaponizing health care.

[cali]

3. whaaat???

[LoZoccolo]

5. The question of whether or not certain people should be served by a single-payer health care system

will become a political football, and it will be easy enough to settle the question of whether or not the system should be used in a way to let certain people suffer and/or die: they will begin with cutting off the most offensive of criminals. Once that line has been crossed, they can amble ever-closer to cutting off poor people or political enemies. There should always be other options available.

[cali]

6. what idiot bullshit.

you do realize that that hasn't been the case in all the countries that have single payer? And that's essentially the entire fucking developed world. duh.

[LoZoccolo]

13. You know, I might not agree with you, and I might even make fun of your posts

but I don't think that I've ever talked that way to you. I really don't think after this and a few other of your posts that you really have the moral authority to say that I'm a troll or distruptive or anything like that for a while, and you know what? I don't even think I care to listen to whatever excuses you might make for it.

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. cali is criticising your idea, not saying you're "a troll or disruptive"

If you make fun of her posts, then this is no worse.

[themadstork]

7. I don't understand how single-payer would change any of that.

The same people would be making the decisions, no? They would just pay for it.

[Warpy]

2. I've taken care of heart transplant patients and know what the evaluation

process is like. A lot of it is psychological and chances are excellent that a child rapist won't pass it.

Compliance with the medical regime isn't a problem while he's in prison. However, it would likely be a problem once he's out.

Getting a transplanted heart is no walk in the park. The recovery period is prolonged and keeping rejection at bay is extremely challenging. While he'd avoid an early death if he got a heart (and that's a huge "if" at this point), he'd never be completely well. I've taken a lot of the antirejection drugs myself, so I know first hand how nasty they can be.

My guess is that if he passes the process, he'd get a heart only if the organ was available and no one else was able to take it.

[themadstork]

8. My fiance may have to do this soon

I'm pretty sure she'd pass the evaluation. She's 22, was active and healthy before the heart disease, mentally ok, etc. But it really is scary. I was really hoping she could have avoided dealing with a transplant her entire life, but the longer this draws out the more likely it seems. : (

[cali]

9. I'm so sorry about your fiancee. Best of luck to both of you.

[Warpy]

20. The last I saw one patient who had his at 20

he was 15 years out, covered in tats, and a successful studio musician. I have to say the guy took full advantage of his second chance, he gave every indication of loving every minute of his life and no sign of being sick all the time, although he had to take so many pills I expected him to rattle when he turned over.

For some people, it's really a wonderful second chance. For others, I've seen it be a curse because they weren't really clear on the fact that it was something they were going to have to take meticulous care of.

I hope your GF can stall it off for a while still, but that an organ is quickly available when she needs it at last.

[themadstork]

23. That's heartening

We're both aware that a transplanted heart would require quite a lot of looking after, and after what we've been through with her heart disease and my mental disease, I don't think doing so would be a problem at all. We've become somewhat of a hospital couple. What I hope for more than anything, transplant or no, is for us to be able to experience those first 10, 15, even 20 years of marriage together. It would just seem hopelessly cruel for everything to fall apart before it ever even started. I'm really glad to hear that that patient has gotten so many extra happy years.

[Festivito]

4. Talk about having a change of heart!

It would be interesting to know how it would change his feelings about what he has done.

[Horse with no Name]

10. While I think personally it is a waste of a good organ on a scumbag

You can't write the guidelines for this specifically. I don't think it is necessary to deny all felons a heart...yet you can't pick and choose which ones can and which ones can't have a heart without including or excluding some.

I object to my tax dollars being used for this...when so many productive citizens have to go without because of lack of funding...but there again, you can't write legislation that precludes federal funding being used...for fear of setting that precedent.

Yeah, it realllllly sucks. BUT hopefully as Warpy pointed out, this scumbag will be weeded out of the process in a legitimate matter without sacrificing others.

[Historic NY]

11. let him pay for it...when he gets out.

[Odin2005]

12. No way in hell should this MONSTER get a transplant.

hearts should not be wasted on scum like him.

[Rage for Order]

14. If the objective of prison is rehabilitation then he should have a chance for a new heart

If one believes that people can be rehabilitated and deserve a second chance after serving their time and paying their debt to society then there is no justifiable reason for this person to not have just as good of an opportunity for a new heart as anyone else.

[cali]

15. I don't think there's much evidence that pedophiles can be rehabilitated

and this guy is a violent pedophile. And let me ask you, how does he pay his debt to society? He destroyed a child's life. No, I don't think he should have just as good an opportunity to get a heart as anyone else. He lost that kind of opportunity when he perpetrated his heinous act.

[Rage for Order]

19. Is he truly a pedophile?

If the girl was physically mature then that is different than a pre-pubescent child. Of course, it's also a distinction without a difference. Garden variety rapist or pedophile rapist? Either way, he's a piece of shit and I wouldn't put him in line for a heart transplant. I also happen to think the primary role of prison should be punishment, at least for violent offenders.

[Obamanaut]

17. I think the primary objective of incarceration is punishment, with rehabilitation

being a sideline.

[Rage for Order]

18. I agree with you

I say we let the fucker sit in his cell and wonder each day if today is the day that his weak heart will finally give out

[Xithras]

27. How medieval of you.

The liberal and progressive view of prison in the U.S., for more than a century, has been that these are it's objectives, in this order:

1. To protect society from further victimization from the convicts.
2. To rehabilitate the convicted, so they will no longer engage in these crimes.
3. As a punishment, but only inasmuch as it helps to deter the convicts from committing their crimes again.

The goal of prison isn't to punish, but to protect society and to turn criminals into honest citizens. Obviously, our prison system fails horribly in this regard. Opinions like yours are a significant part of the reason why.

[Old Troop]

16. A convicted rapist should be the last person to get a heart when

so many others need one.

[CoffeeCat]

21. Let's hope this person fails the interviews...

This person doesn't even deserve to live--let alone be the recipient of FREE extraordinary measures
to save his life, which would mean that someone else, who really deserves to live--would be denied.

A convicted rapist should not recieve this luxury.

Why is he even being considered? That's the outrageous part.

[themadstork]

22. I don't see what's so bad about evaluating him

I mean, out of nearly 50 patients, I really doubt that a convicted rapist is going to be the one getting a heart. However, giving a convicted rapist a new heart is better than just letting the organ go to waste, in my opinion. If there were truly no better option then I wouldn't have a problem with it.

[alphafemale]

24. I'd rather him get one than "Gofuckyourself" Cheney.

This guy's probably never going to hurt a kid again. Can't say that with Cheney.

[IcyPeas]

25. It would make me sick...

about the family of the person who actually donated the heart (not that they would know). It would make me sick if I knew a friend or loved one of mine donated a heart to someone like him.

not to judge...... BUT ...... there are so many more deserving people out there waiting to receive a gift like this.

I hope he fails the test too.