Past and current Atlanta city leaders and community activists are banding together to urge Atlanta-based Emory University Hospital officials to perform a kidney transplant on a 2-year-old boy whose operation was delayed after his father violated his probation, according to Alive-11 News.
A.J. Burgess was born with one kidney and was scheduled to receive his father's left kidney during an Oct. 3 transplant procedure. The boy's father, Anthony Dickerson, 26, is a perfect match, but was arrested in September for violating his parole.
On the day of A.J.'s procedure, Emory University Hospital officials told the boy's family the operation would be postponed until Mr. Dickerson could provide proof he complied with his parole officer for three months. Officials said they would reevaluate Mr. Dickerson in January 2018.
City officials and activists have requested a meeting with hospital leaders and are reportedly planning to pursue additional action if the hospital does not conduct the procedure, according to the report.
Activists will also reportedly stage a protest Oct. 24 to urge hospital leaders to take action.
"It is simply unbelievable that Emory [University] Hospital is risking the life of this young baby over this issue. They are allowing this child to suffer in order to play the morality police about the father's legal issues. What in the hell is going on here? This appears to be an obvious case of discrimination. Would Emory be asking these same questions if Baby A.J.'s parents were white? I don't think so," former Atlanta City Councilman Derrick Boazman told Alive-11 News.
In a previous statement to Becker's Hospital Review, the hospital said, "Emory Healthcare is committed to the highest quality of care for its patients. Guidelines for organ transplantation are designed to maximize the chance of success for organ recipients and minimize risk for living donors. Transplant decisions regarding donors are made based on many medical, social and psychological factors. Because of privacy regulations and respect for patient confidentiality, we cannot share specific information about our patients."