A 10-year-old girl who has end-stage cystic fibrosis, desperately needs a lung transplant to survive, but is considered two years too young to receive an organ from an adult donor. However, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reiterated Tuesday that she will not get involved in the delicate case.
Sarah Murnaghan, 10, has been told she has just weeks to live if she doesn't receive a lung transplant. Murnaghan has been waiting 18 months for another pair of lungs as her ability to breathe has rapidly deteriorated.
Kathleen Sebelius told Congress today she wouldn't sign a waiver for Sarah Murnaghan to circumvent a policy that prevents children under the age of 12 from being added to an adult lung transplant list.
Pennsylvania lawmakers urged Sebelius to either set aside the under-12 policy on an emergency basis or direct the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to do more research about the suitability of adult organs for children. "I'm begging you ... Sarah has three to five weeks to live. Suspend the rules until we look at this policy," Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., told Sebelius at a session of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing, according to NBC news.
"Forty people in your home state are waiting for a lung," Sebelius countered.
The department said Sunday it is sympathetic to the many parents facing similar circumstances.
"Our heart goes out to any family that is dealing with a loved one who is on a waiting list for an organ transplant," the statement said. "Given the significant disparity in the number of transplantable organs to the number of people in need of an organ, (the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network) has regulations and policies to ensure that decisions are based on the best medical science and the most equitable process in a very difficult situation."
