“As someone who needs a new kidney, this is horrific”: The internet’s organ donor conspiracy theory turns out to have some truth to it

A new report confirms a conspiracy theory that organs may have been taken from donors prematurely, when full recovery may have been possible.

What is the organ donor conspiracy?

The idea that hospitals are less likely to save the lives of organ donors was previously a conspiracy circulating on X and Reddit. However, a report by the New York Times uncovered that there may be some truth to the theory.

According to several sources interviewed by the Times, organ donation coordinators pushed doctors to administer drugs like morphine to stop “reflexes” like crying and blinking prior to donation procedures. Some report that hospital staff continued donation preparations even as their loved one’s condition improved.

In one case, a woman’s sister noticed that she could blink on command prior to the procedure to take her off of life support and remove her organs. The woman made a full recovery after this discovery.

Fifty-five medical workers in 19 states surveyed by the Times say they witnessed a “disturbing case” of organ donation.

In response to the report, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to reform the organ donation system, per Fox News. However, he did not share specific details of the potential reform.

How did the internet react to the disturbing report?

TikToker Kelly Tang (@imkellytang) said she was “speechless” after reading the report.

“They have so many different examples of this within the article,” she said. “It’s really disturbing. Clearly, this has happened to a lot of people.”

@iamkellytang It’s genuinely alarming in this current climate with all the challenges we’re faced with healthcare and health insurance. Everyone deserves to have a real fighting chance to live and not have to worry. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time I’m hearing doctors giving up on patients and not giving them a fair chance at survival. These organizations are pushing to have specific quotas as well which can explain why this is becoming more prevelant. And often times patients will be given more drugs to hide signs of life. Which is even horrendous. This article was posted 7/20/25 in The NY Times. #organdonation #organdonor #news #conspiracytheory #scary #healthcare ♬ original sound – Kelly Tang

Tang explained that she removed her organ donor designation from her license years ago, when she first heard the conspiracy theory.

In the comments, viewers shared whether their thoughts on organ donation have changed since the report.

“I hate this because I actually would love to donate my organs when I die, because I won’t be using them, but I don’t want my organs forcibly taken without even trying to save my life first,” one wrote.

“Could be a conspiracy, however, I will be taking organ donor off my license,” another said.

However, those who have benefited from organ donations urged others to stay open to donating. “This is so sad. My dad’s life was saved by an organ donor 2 years ago,” a commenter shared.

“As someone who needs a new kidney, this is horrific and hurts so many more people because of this,” another wrote.