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2nd July 2022
06:14pm BST
Gonzales' attorneys have also made a request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles for a 180-day reprieve in relation to the kidney donation. They included a latter from Cantor Michael Zoosman, a prominent anti-death penalty advocate and former prison chaplain, who gave Gonzales the idea by telling him about a member of his synagogue in need of a kidney transplant.
In his letter, Zoosman said there has been "no doubt in [his] mind" that the inmate's desire to be a kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution. "I will go to my grave believing in my heart that this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God," Zoosman said.Gonzales’ attorneys said he’s been determined to be an "excellent candidate" for donation ever since he was evaluated by a University transplant team. It was then that Gonzales discovered he has a rare blood type, meaning his donation could benefit someone who might be struggling to find a match.
Gonzales lawyer's wrote: "Virtually all that remains is the surgery to remove Ramiro’s kidney. UTMB has confirmed that the procedure could be completed within a month." https://twitter.com/Pryme9ja1/status/1543247312092364800Gonzales was actually deemed ineligible after making a request to be a donor earlier this year. Agency spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez did not give a reason, but Gonzales' lawyers said in their letter that the agency objected because of the pending execution date.
Inmates are however, under the Texas Department of Criminal Justice policies, allowed to make organ and tissue donations. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is set to vote July 11 on Gonzales’ request. His attorneys have also made a separate request asking for his death sentence to be made a lesser penalty. The lawyers have asked that that if it does go ahead, his execution does not proceed if his spiritual adviser isn’t allowed to both hold his hand and place another hand on his heart during his execution. A two-day federal trial on this request was set to begin Tuesday.Requests to delay executions to donate organs are rare amongst death row inmates in the U.S, according to Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.
He said: "Skeptics will think this is simply an attempt to delay the execution. But if that were the case, I think you’d be seeing many requests. The history of executions in the United States shows that people don’t make offers of organ donations for the purpose of delaying an execution that will still take place." Related stories:
