Surgeon may have helped speed a death for organs

In a situation that goes far beyond medical malpractice, a California surgeon is facing three counts of felony for allegedly speeding up the death of a man to get his organs. Dr. Roozrokh attended Stanford University, but now he could find himself spending the next eight years behind bars.

Prosecutors say he prescribed doses of drugs that caused Ruben Navarro's death. This was in an effort to get his organs (like kidneys and liver). He was supposedly given Betadine, which is a topical medication, but is said to cause death if ingested. A hearing is going on today, but something tells me a case like this could drag on for a long time.

What's sad is that this allegation, regardless about whether it's true or not, will put a little bit of fear in the hearts of potential donors in the future. Hopefully this won't cause people to pull their participation in donor programs. If you want to hear more about the case, visit the NY Times article here.