NYC Plans Organ-Recovery Ambulance

New York City is planning a “rapid-organ-recovery ambulance” that would collect the bodies of victims of sudden deaths to be used for organ transplants, hoping to ease a pressing need for donors, the Washington Post reports. But the idea has sparked controversy among health and bioethics experts, concerned over what it might mean for the role of emergency health care.

“People are going to worry when the ambulance comes whether they are there to care for them or to take their organs,” said one expert. But supporters say the plan, which would employ a distinct ambulance, is subject to ethical approval from experts and locals. “We have to make sure people understand our job is to save lives, and we're not going to do anything to compromise that,” says a leading proponent. (More New York City stories.)