The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making a bold push to reform the nation’s organ procurement and transplantation system following alarming findings from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Under the leadership of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS launched a probe into organ harvesting at hospitals across the country.
The investigation, which focused on organ donation protocols, revealed that some patients were still alive when their organs were harvested.
The discovery has sparked widespread concern.
According to HRSA’s investigation, out of 351 cases reviewed, 103 (29.3 percent) were found to have significant issues.
Of particular concern, 73 patients (21 percent) were authorized for organ procurement despite having neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.
In an even more disturbing revelation, at least 28 patients (8 percent) may not have been deceased when doctors began removing their organs.
The issue came to light after the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) reviewed the 2021 case of TJ Hoover, a man who was supposed to be “brain dead” but was found to be moving and crying as he was wheeled to the operating room.
Despite claims from medical staff that Hoover’s actions were mere “reflexes,” whistleblowers revealed that Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates pressured staff to find another doctor to proceed with the surgery.
Fortunately, the operation was called off, and Hoover later recovered, even attending his sister’s wedding.
A report by The New York Times on July 20, 2025, further exposed issues surrounding “donation after circulatory death” (DCD).
In these cases, patients are not brain-dead but are made “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) in preparation for organ donation.
Doctors wait for the patient’s heart to stop before beginning the organ retrieval process, with a two- to five-minute “no-touch” period before surgery begins.
However, studies have shown that some patients who experience pulselessness for just a few minutes can still be revived, suggesting they were never actually dead.
Dr. Ari Joffe’s 2007 study of 12 patients who regained spontaneous heartbeats after up to 10 minutes of cardiac arrest further challenges current DCD protocols.
In response, many countries, including Finland, Germany, and Turkey, have banned DCD due to the ethical concerns it raises.
The danger that patients could be prematurely declared dead, only to wake up during surgery, has led to serious calls for reform.
One of the most shocking cases involved Misty Hawkins, a woman whose brain injury left her in a comatose state.
Doctors determined she would never recover, and her family consented to organ donation.
However, after being removed from the ventilator, Misty’s heart stopped 103 minutes later.
When surgeons began the organ retrieval, they discovered that her heart was still beating, and she was gasping for breath.
Misty was ultimately declared dead a second time, but her family was only told that she was unable to donate organs.
It wasn’t until over a year later, when The New York Times contacted them, that they learned the full truth.
The deeply flawed practices of the current organ procurement system must be addressed, ensuring justice for families harmed by the system, without harming ethical organ transplantation practices.
Kennedy’s push for reform is a vital step in creating a more just and ethical healthcare system in America.
READ MORE – New Report Confirms ‘Covid Death’ Spikes in 2020 Were Driven by Hospitals, Not a Virus
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