Colorado woman who won’t get vaccinated denied transplant

By PATTY NIEBERG, THOMAS PEIPERT AND COLLEEN SLEVIN
The Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado woman has been denied a kidney transplant because she won’t be vaccinated against COVID-19 due to her religious views. Leilani Lutali faces the possibility of dying without a new kidney. However, the born-again Christian objects to the role that stem cells have played in the development of vaccines. The hospital group, UCHealth, says transplant recipients need to be vaccinated because they are at significant risk of contracting COVID-19 as well as being hospitalized. The American Hospital Association says many transplant centers require vaccinations. It says organ recipients are vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the drugs they must take to suppress their immune system.