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TV contestants to compete for woman's kidneys
Guardian ^ | May 29, 2007 | Kate Connolly

Posted on 05/29/2007 7:03:59 AM PDT by NYer

A Dutch reality television show in which a terminally ill woman is to select one of three contestants to receive her kidneys when she dies is to air this week despite criticism that it pushes the boundaries of the format too far.

The government has called for De Grote Donorshow (The Big Donor show) to be dropped because it is "unethical" and "wretched" but the broadcaster BNN said it would go ahead to highlight the difficulties of searching for kidney donors. In the show, due to be broadcast on Friday, a woman identified only as Lisa, 37, will select a recipient based on their history, profile and conversations with their families and friends. Throughout the 80-minute show, viewers will be invited to send Lisa text messages to advise her.

The ruling coalition parties the Christian Democrats and the Christian Union have condemned the show. But BNN's chairman, Laurens Drillich, said the show would increase by a third the participants' chances of getting a new kidney. "The chance for a kidney for the contestants is 33%," he said. "This is much higher than that for people on a waiting list. You would expect it to be better, but it is worse."

BNN said it wanted to focus on the plight of kidney sufferers as a tribute to its founder, Bart de Graaff, who died of kidney failure five years ago in spite of several transplants.

There is evidence that an increasing number of Dutch viewers have been turning away from reality TV, of which the Netherlands is a pioneer, because they believe the subject matter too risque. One show to come under the spotlight is Spuiten en Slikken (Shooting and Swallowing) in which the presenters experiment with drugs and a range of sexual exploits.

(Excerpt) Read more at media.guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: bodybrokers; gameshow; moralabsolutes; nobloodforratings; organharvesting; realitytv
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1 posted on 05/29/2007 7:04:03 AM PDT by NYer
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To: wagglebee

Ping!


2 posted on 05/29/2007 7:04:21 AM PDT by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: NYer

I’d vote for Sanjaya.


3 posted on 05/29/2007 7:05:12 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Enoch Powell was right.)
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To: NYer
This, too, shall pass.
4 posted on 05/29/2007 7:05:42 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("All the measures of the law should protect property and punish plunder." --Frederic Bastiat)
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To: NYer

I’ve seen shows where TV contestants competed for a woman’s body parts. I think it was called “The Dating Game.”


5 posted on 05/29/2007 7:05:58 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Duncan Hunter 2008 (or Fred Thompson if he ever makes up his mind))
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

LOL!


6 posted on 05/29/2007 7:06:21 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Duncan Hunter 2008 (or Fred Thompson if he ever makes up his mind))
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To: wagglebee; NYer

I was just going to ping him too.


7 posted on 05/29/2007 7:07:19 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: NYer

Oh those enlightened Europeans... Will the States ever measure up to them?


8 posted on 05/29/2007 7:07:59 AM PDT by caver (Yes, I did crawl out of a hole in the ground.)
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To: NYer

Western ‘civilization’ is headed toward the same level where Roman audiences loved watching slaves fighting to the death and undesirables being fed to lions.


9 posted on 05/29/2007 7:09:23 AM PDT by Sloth (The GOP is to DemonRats in politics as Michael Jackson is to Jeffrey Dahmer in babysitting.)
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To: Sloth

“Western ‘civilization’ is headed toward the same level where Roman audiences loved watching slaves fighting to the death and undesirables being fed to lions.”

In what direction do you think these so-called reality shows are going? LMAO


10 posted on 05/29/2007 7:12:54 AM PDT by Disturbin (Welcome to society -- morons with keys)
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To: NYer

“One show to come under the spotlight is Spuiten en Slikken (Shooting and Swallowing) in which the presenters experiment with drugs and a range of sexual exploits.”

How long before this ends up on Bravo?


11 posted on 05/29/2007 7:14:23 AM PDT by Disturbin (Welcome to society -- morons with keys)
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To: NYer

Coming soon to a FOX channel near you.


12 posted on 05/29/2007 7:20:19 AM PDT by mtbopfuyn (I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier - San Antonio councilwoman Patti Radle)
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To: Sloth
Western ‘civilization’ is headed toward the same level where Roman audiences loved watching slaves fighting to the death and undesirables being fed to lions.

You're right.

13 posted on 05/29/2007 7:25:11 AM PDT by NYer ("Where the bishop is present, there is the Catholic Church" - Ignatius of Antioch)
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To: NYer

Why do the contestants have to wait until she dies? Wouldn’t it be more fun if they could chase her down on live TV and extract the parts they need, themselves?


14 posted on 05/29/2007 7:50:00 AM PDT by jonascord (She walked thru the door, twirling a pair of 44s. And, in her hand was a gun...)
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When one outlaws the sale of organs, this is where you wind up. I’d much rather have my children financially well-off through a bidding war over my organs than donate them.

The price of organs is artificially held to zero by law, so of course the supply is limited.


15 posted on 05/29/2007 8:06:50 AM PDT by mvpel (Michael Pelletier)
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To: NYer

The Netherlands is already in the forefront of the Culture of Death, leading the way with assisted suicides and (in)voluntary euthanasia.

Evidently Dutch Calvinism is dead, and nothing has taken its place but drugs, despair, and death.


16 posted on 05/29/2007 8:32:42 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: caver

This is what socialized medicine gets you. Competition in the marketplace...


17 posted on 05/29/2007 9:02:51 AM PDT by weegee (Libs want us to learn to live with terrorism, but if a gun is used they want to rewrite the Const.)
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To: NYer; Calpernia; 230FMJ; 49th; 50mm; 69ConvertibleFirebird; Aleighanne; Alexander Rubin; ...
Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee or little jeremiah to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

The culture of death just gets sicker and sicker.

18 posted on 05/29/2007 9:09:54 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: 8mmMauser

Ping


19 posted on 05/29/2007 9:10:55 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: weegee

“This is what socialized medicine gets you. Competition in the marketplace...”

Sounds like capitalism... To the highest bidder!


20 posted on 05/29/2007 9:14:00 AM PDT by caver (Yes, I did crawl out of a hole in the ground.)
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