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Mom seeks heart transplant for autistic son after denial

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    23-year-old turned down by hospital because of condition

  • Duration 3:05
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A mother says a hospital did not recommend her son for -- heart transplant because he has autism.

Paul core b.s mom says the hospital cited psychiatric issues autism and other factors in his decision.

In a statement Paul's mother says quote he just needs a fighting chance.

And the same rights to medical care as others his -- autism is not a terminal disease is and we cannot allow it to become one.

Criminal defense attorney Randy -- former prosecutor Doug burns and we should say up that.

That if more people registered to be organ donors -- this would not be an issue yes if I just thing but this is the hospital's policy.

One of the doctors point that -- that is said look more important than the substantive issue about autism is if everybody would simply.

Check on their license or sign up to be organ donors then we wouldn't have this intense competition for the organs.

But on the case itself I mean this can be argued both ways on the one hand he should not be discriminated against them -- should perform because he has autism.

And I think everybody included Randy would agree with that but on the other hand.

He does have to follow very detailed instructions and theoretically -- kinds of medications under the rubric of whether or not.

The organs going to be rejected from his body so the argument there is.

He can't there medical malpractice here and I know how these cases where where.

You know I do lawyers will put an expert witness on the stand -- will testify that he would have done the exact opposite of what that doctor that hospital did is there a way to present the other side of this to compel.

The hospital to put him back on the list.

It's an awfully difficult challenge and and this is such a gut wrenching story -- we're talking about the human being and we're talking about a child.

But the reality is because we don't have enough hearts.

Decisions have to be made who gets them who's going to get the most use out of it who's going to be able to take care of it and when you're talking about autism.

We don't know so much about the disease where it comes from what triggers it what -- -- Doug makes a great point.

You have to suppress the body's immune system because the body will reject the heart we don't know the impact of that -- somebody with a what does.

We don't know so much and -- this child take care of himself.

There -- communication issues can the child communicate.

I'm having a problem I'm not feeling because of his ought to -- the child take care of himself later on in years.

It's awful we just don't have enough points -- any recourse for this family if they were to come to you for legal advice.

Well I think that's an uphill battle honestly because experts that I spoke to earlier this afternoon with telling me that you know there is.

Ordinarily that would be recourse if we're street discrimination but here I think that the points I made about.

There being some logical nexus between this point three year -- ability.

To process the information in the medications I think -- -- my advice would problem for us -- -- -- medical litigation experts from my advice would be that would be an uphill battle.

In the meantime everybody should seriously consider becoming an organ -- that you could do it on FaceBook now it's the easiest thing to do and it would -- so many lives and eliminate.

These kinds of situations that are so heart wrenching as you mentioned ready for families at their guys thank you both very much our international protests and condemnation.

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