THE GOD COMMITTEE

 

Imagine if you were observing a health transplant committee at work one morning in a major regional hospital. The committee is composed of an administrator, two doctors, a psychologist, an ethicist, a nurse, and a hospital chaplain. Due to circumstances beyond their control a heart has become available, and the committee has one hour to decide who among three candidates who are currently hospitalized will receive the heart. The three candidates are-

·       Wanda, age 57. Widowed, no children, weak support system. She is also unsure whether she wants a heart from another person in her.

·       Wilson, age 48.  Married, three daughters in college, excellent support system. He exceeds 300 pounds in weight and before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he attempted suicide.

·       Wayne, age 23. Single, no children, strong support system on paper. He is a heroin addict with three tries at rehab. Upon learning his girlfriend is pregnant, he severely beat her. He is in a coma because he suffered a heart attack. In addition, the committee has received information that his father will donate 25 million dollars to the hospital if Wayne receives the available heart.

Wanda is immediately ruled out. So, the committee must decide between Wilson and Wayne. In your opinion, who should the committee chose? Who would you select?

I have just given you most of the plot to the new film The God Committee (with some minor fact changes). The movie is powerful because it made me think about the issue above and about black market tissue donations and tissue transplants among species (transplantation). Kelsey Grammer and Julia Stiles star in the film, and I consider this to be Grammer’s best dramatic role of what I have seen (along with his best comedic role in Frasier).

Issues to think about:

1.     How much is a life worth?

2.     Is evaluation of a life more about past conduct, future potential, or both equally?

3.     Do we control our thinking and habits or do they control us?

4.     How strong are our support systems? Is the strength real or just on paper?

5.     If you could life 10-15 more productive years with a heart transplant, would you be comfortable with a pig’s or baboon’s heart, or a heart purchased on the black market?

Medical committees of this type and court juries are often accused of “playing God” because they even goof with life and death issues. The termination of life is not all of life- one’s quality of life is also at play. Are we not a “God committee of one” when we abuse substances or when we consume excessively even good things?

The God I serve is One of abundance, not scarcity; life, not death. Watch The God Committee and think upon these things.