Kentucky: In an incident that has raised serious ethical concerns, a man declared brain dead regained consciousness just as doctors were preparing to remove his heart for organ donation. The case, involving 36-year-old Thomas 'TJ' Hoover II, has led to investigations.
Hoover, who had overdosed on drugs in October 2021, was admitted to Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in Kentucky and later declared brain dead. However, at the moment he was being moved to the operating room for organ removal, Hoover began to show signs of life.
Nyckoletta Martin, a former employee of Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), claimed that Hoover was "thrashing around on the table" and described the situation as terrifying. Another KODA worker, Natasha Miller, confirmed that Hoover was visibly crying as he was being transported from the intensive care unit. Despite these signs of life, the organ removal was allegedly set to continue, sparking outrage.
Julie Bergen, president of the newly formed Network for Hope, denied the allegations, stating that no organs were collected from living patients. Baptist Health Richmond reiterated their commitment to patient safety and respect for organ donation wishes.
Hoover, now living under the care of his sister, Donna Rhorer, has suffered lasting effects from the ordeal, including difficulties with memory, walking, and talking. The incident is currently under investigation by the Kentucky Attorney General and the US Health Services Resources Administration.
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Palakkad: A group of children celebrating Christmas through a carol roadshow was allegedly attacked by BJP workers in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Sunday night.
According to local reports, the incident occurred in Pudussery area of Palakkad, where over 25 children, mostly aged around 13, were moving from house to house singing Christmas carols. Reports state that a BJP worker identified as Ashwin Raj, along with others, allegedly assaulted the children and vandalised their musical equipment.
According to the police and eyewitness accounts, the children were using a band set that belonged to a local CPI(M) office, which had the party’s name written on it.
Allegedly objecting to this, the accused and his associates reportedly lured the children on the pretext of offering them money and then assaulted them. The band set used by the children was also smashed.
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The Town Police have arrested Ashwin Raj, a local BJP worker who has been named as the prime accused in the case. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining accused who fled the scene.
Speaking to the media, one of the injured children said, “We were using the band just for fun. When they saw that it had CPM written on it, they took us aside and beat us.”
"We had given the band set that was in our office out of love when the children asked for it. The fact that these young children, who do not know the intricacies of politics, were attacked shows the criminal mentality of the BJP workers," local CPIM leaders expressed outrage.
A police officer told PTI that the arrested accused is already booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
The sections invoked include Section 192 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and Section 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), police added.
