(www.sass-pants.com) — My jaw just about hit the floor when I heard this news story today. A doctor from Long Island is demanding his estranged wife return the kidney he donated to save her life in 2001. Oh, yes, that’s right. He wants his kidney back as part of the divorce settlement. Why not just write, “Die, bitch!” across her chest in blood or something? Are we seriously at the point where we not only have a 60% divorce rate in the US, but people who are divorcing are actually insisting that their mate return life-saving donated organs?
The return of Richard Batista’s kidney was not originally part of his demands when he countersued after his wife of now 18 years filed for divorce in 2005. In fact, good old Richie-poo only demanded the kidney this week, on Wednesday, January 7. Of course, if Dawnell wants to keep the kidney, she could always pay her soon-to-be ex-husband the $1.5 million he’s demanding instead to account for the organ’s “value.”
Last time I checked, an organ wasn’t like an engagement ring, something you can give back if things didn’t work out. And I doubt that when Dawnell uttered the words, “’til death do us part,” she didn’t mean, “until you demand your kidney back, you scumbag.”
The couple has 3 daughters ranging in age from 8 to 14. I may be going out on a limb here, but I don’t think their dad’s inexcusably selfish behavior bodes well for their future relationships with men. Way to parent.
Admittedly, Dawnell has been accused of cheating on her husband, so I can certainly understand that he’d be angry. But being angry and being absurd — don’t forget, dude’s a surgeon — are two different things, and killing someone is far worse than being a crappy wife. And who knows if she really was. All I know is that anyone who would demand the return of his kidney as part of a divorce agreement is someone I, for one, definitely would not want to be married to. (And did he forget that whole Hippocratic Oath thing?)
What do you think? Totally acceptable, or morally reprehensible?
Contents Copyright © 2009 Kristen King
(image: SXC.hu)
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Morally reprehensible, and worthy of a good beat down. I can’t imagine being married to someone for 18 years, parenting three kids with that person, and then having him demand I return a kidney (or, me demanding he returns a kidney). I mean, what kind of low life actually does that?
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I don’t even know. What a selfish thing to even THINK much less demand.