The subject matter hits a bit close to home for me so forgive me for going off on a tangent a bit for a moment. Six years ago my mother passed away suddenly. The day after, I received a phone call from the hospital because they wanted to harvest one of her organs but she wasn't listed as a donor on her driver's license. Because her passing was sudden, I never had the chance to speak with her about her true wishes. The decision was one of the easier yet hardest things I had to do. She hadn't consented so did I have the right to change that decision after her passing? I ultimately said yes, for a myriad of reasons I won't go into but, whether or not I really had the right to go against what appeared to be her wishes always tugged at the back of my mind.
In the case Peter Stone was handed, again a no-win scenario, a child's organs were harvested without her parents' consent. Her heart was seconds away from being flown to another city to save a child's life. Had this been a one off case, maybe the doctor would not have been held accountable. But 31 other children were victims of the same thing. Yet, 31 children were alive because of it. The doctor had forged signatures on consent forms so the donor organs would be accepted. The case, however, isn't about the legality of organ harvest. It's about forgery, which Peter sees as cut and dry. Out of the courtroom though, the morality of it is what each of the SVU squad and the ADA struggle with.
Peter struggled on two fronts with this and that struggle was beautifully played out by Philip Winchester's acting. Facing the young boy, Harry, who was denied the harvested heart, the sorrow was plainly seen on Peter's face. Later fighting back tears and nearly losing the battle, he tells Olivia of how his father passed when he'd left the hospital room for a few moments and how upset he'd have been if he came back only to find his father's organs had been removed. The dialogue was well written and excellently delivered with those emotions.
However, my first big gripe with the way the episode was written comes when Peter says he's seeking jail time to make an example of the doctor because he doesn't want to "seem like a pushover". Wasn't he, for the past two shows, worried about being a hard ass? Make up your mind please writers... how about consistently in the middle of the two? My second issue is when Olivia throws the emotional confession about his dad's passing back in his face by suggesting he's overcompensating for his guilt by seeking the jail time instead of just letting the doctor lose her license. You just don't do that to someone who you supposedly have respect for. I, personally, might have a lost a little respect for Benson over that. As if all that wasn't a punch in the gut for him, Rollins comes in to tell them that Harry died about an hour prior. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, instead of trying to describe the sorrow, I'll end with a touching picture of it.
Law and Order: SVU airs Wednesdays at 9pm Eastern on NBC.
Sorry about your mom.
ReplyDeleteI saw an old Law & Order episode recently (called Remains of the Day) where the surgeon who does the same is acquitted. I completely agree with your second issue.
I too agree. We need child organ donation.
ReplyDelete