This story has been all over the news. For those of you who haven’t heard, a Dutch TV show, in an effort to draw attention to the shortage of organ donors, is airing a reality TV series in which a terminally ill woman will give away her kidneys to the contestant of her choice.

Called the Big Donor Show, the series has come under fire. Critics brand it as “unethical and tasteless.” According to BNN network chairman, Laurens Drillich, “We know that this program is super controversial and some people will think it's tasteless, but we think the reality is even more shocking and tasteless: waiting for an organ is just like playing the lottery.”

The good news is that the series, which may or may not air on Friday night, may have helped bring the issue to the attention of the European Union. “On Wednesday, EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou will publish a new strategy to combat a shortage of donated organs, which figures show contributes to 10 deaths a day in the 27-nation bloc.”

Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of this series. I won’t be watching it as I don’t live in the Netherlands (or the UK). I do think that it’s in poor taste, however, I think that it’s worse that tens of thousands in the EU alone are currently waiting for transplants and the mortality rate “while waiting for a heart, liver or lung transplant is between 15 and 30 percent.”

That’s sad. If the airing of this show can somehow improve this fact, then I guess I’m all for it. However, I just am not sure about it. I don’t really know what to think or feel. I can’t envision this being ‘must-see’ TV. I feel that our society is in a sad state if we have to resort to airing such things on television.

What do you think?