A 17-year-old girl seeks court permission to donate her liver for her ailing father

A 17-year-old girl has moved the Kerala High Court seeking permission to donate her liver for her ailing father.

Justice V.G. Arun, who considered the application, has asked the Director of Medical Education (DME) to decide on her application in three days.

The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, specifies that the donation of living organs or tissue by a minor can be permitted only on exceptional medical grounds. The prior approval of the appropriate authority and the State government concerned were also required for the donation, pointed out the counsel for the girl.

The counsel also pointed out that the patient was in a critical condition and it would be difficult for him to survive without an organ transplant surgery. Medical tests had revealed that the girl’s organ matched that of her father, the counsel argued.

The girl sought direction from the court to undergo the necessary tests as a prelude to organ donation considering the exceptional circumstances in the case.

The Kerala government had earlier appointed the Director of Medical Education as the appropriate authority to decide on such cases. The girl had filed applications seeking permission from the DME and the State government, the counsel informed the court.