A man in Texas who is scheduled to be put to death in less than two weeks wants to donate a kidney, so he asked if his execution could be delayed.
Ramiro Gonzales is set to be killed by using a lethal injection on July 13 for shooting dead Bridget Townsend. The 18-year-old southwest Texas woman's remains were found almost two years after she went missing in 2001.
A letter was sent Wednesday on behalf of Gonzales, reported ABC News. His lawyers, Raoul Schonemann and Thea Posel, asked Republican Governor Greg Abbott to grant a 30-day reprieve. The request was made so that Gonzales can be considered a living donor “to someone who is in urgent need of a kidney transplant.”
For a 180-day reprieve related to the kidney donation, his lawyers have made a separate request to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Gonzales’ lawyers included a letter from Cantor Michael Zoosman from Maryland in their request to Abbott. Zoosman is an ordained Jewish clergyman who has been corresponding with Gonzales. Zoosman wrote that there has been no doubt in his mind that the inmate's desire to be an "altruistic kidney donor is not motivated by a last-minute attempt to stop or delay his execution." He wrote that he will go to his grave believing in his heart that "this is something that Ramiro wants to do to help make his soul right with his God."
Zoosman had relayed a story about a member of his synagogue’s congregation who requires a kidney transplant. He writes to every death row inmate in the U.S., but he doesn’t always hear back. As for Gonzales, 39, he has been corresponding with him since January 2021, reported Independent.
Gonzales’ lawyers said that their client has been determined to be an “excellent candidate” for donation. It was determined after he was evaluated by the transplant team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The inmate has a rare blood type, which means that his donation could benefit someone who might have difficulty in finding a match.
Posel and Schonemann wrote to Abbott that virtually all that remains is the surgery to remove their client's kidney, and it was confirmed that the procedure "could be completed within a month."
Going by policies of Texas Department of Criminal Justice, inmates are allowed to make organ donations, but agency spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez said that Gonzales was deemed ineligible after making a request to be a donor earlier this year. A reason was not given, but Gonzales' lawyers said in their letter that the agency objected because of the execution date. As for Gonzales’ request, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is set to vote on July 11.
A separate request was made by Gonzales’ lawyers, who asked the board to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty, reported WFAA8ABC.
