Parents refuse to donate kidney to dying daughter because 'she's a girl'
BIHAR, INDIA: A 16-year-old girl, who is fighting for her life, may not survive after her parents refused to donate their kidney or find a volunteer to donate saying "she's a girl," according to reports. The girl, identified as Kanchan Kumar, who recently cleared her grade 10 examination, fell seriously ill two months ago and underwent treatment at a hospital in Sheikhpura district in Bihar, India.
Doctors recently told the girl's parents that both of her kidneys had stopped functioning and she urgently required a kidney transplant for her to survive. Kumari, the eldest of her five siblings, was then rushed to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science in Patna for a second consultation.
However, the doctors' response at the institution came as a big blow to the family. Kumari's grandfather Baleshwar Yadav told the outlet that the medical experts said that besides finding a kidney, the family will have to shell out significant money in hospital bills without there being a guarantee of KumarI's survival.
Yadav said that there was no possibility of Kumari's father Ramashray to donate his kidney for the treatment because he would not be able to work properly with just one kidney. Ramashray is the only breadwinner for the family of seven, and the grandfather said that the entire family's survival will be at stake if he donates his kidney.
When a local reporter asked the father why wasn't he donating his kidney for his child, he replied with: "Who will donate his/her kidneys? She is a girl,” according to The Statesman. Her mother also did not show much interest in her daughter's case.
Therefore, Kumari's parents have given up on her medical treatment and have decided to bring her home from the hospital as they do not have any financial means to support the procedures.
The outlet reported that according to the data available, very few women in Bihar have received kidneys from their relatives in case of emergencies. Meanwhile, a larger share of women in the state donated their kidneys.