PULSE POINTS
WHAT HAPPENED: A Green Party councilor in Weißenhorn, Germany, conducted a controversial survey about organ donation and political affiliation.
WHO WAS INVOLVED: Green Party councilor Julia Probst and nearly 4,000 survey participants.
WHEN & WHERE: Weißenhorn, Germany, recently on the social media platform X.
KEY QUOTE: “The wording of the question is very confusing to me? Do I have left-wing or right-wing blood?” – Anonymous user.
IMPACT: The survey faced backlash, and Probst has since locked her X account. Organ donation laws are supposed to prohibit discrimination based on political views.
IN FULL
Julia Probst, a Green Party councilor from Weißenhorn, Germany, created a social media survey asking her followers if they would agree to donate an organ to a voter from the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The survey, which received nearly 4,000 responses, revealed that 76 percent of participants would donate, while about a quarter said they would not.
The post sparked significant criticism, with many accusing Probst of politicizing organ donation. One user, identifying as an “AfD opponent,” stated, “As a first responder, I first help a person and not a ‘party affiliation.’” They also questioned the phrasing of the survey, asking, “Do I have left-wing or right-wing blood?”
Even users who supported the Green Party expressed disapproval of the survey, emphasizing that organ donation should not be linked to politics. Following the backlash, Probst locked her X account, limiting access to her posts.
Legally, organ donation in Germany is regulated by the Eurotransplant agency, which bases decisions on factors such as tissue compatibility, waiting times, and urgency. Political affiliation is not supposed to be a factor in these decisions. Even if a donor expressed a preference to exclude certain recipients, such a request should be disregarded under the law.
This incident comes amid growing concerns about the intersection of politics and medical treatment in Germany. In a separate case, a doctor reportedly refused to treat an AfD politician who had been his patient for years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some people in certain countries, like Canada, were denied organ transplants based on their vaccination status. Medical professionals denied an Alberta woman who needed a life-saving organ transplant. She attempted to take her case to the Canadian Supreme Court, which refused to hear her. She died in August 2023.
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