Dutch kidney donor TV program draws ire

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, May 29 (UPI) -- A Dutch reality television program in which a terminally ill woman chooses someone to receive her kidneys will air despite criticism, station officials said.

Members of the Dutch parliament are urging the nation's health and media ministers to prevent the Friday broadcast of "The Great Donor Show" on public television, Hollywood Reporter reported Tuesday on its Web site. In the program, a 37-year-old woman will choose from three contestants who have a kidney disease.

BONN, which is scheduled to air the program, said it is broadcasting it to spotlight the lack of organ donors in the Netherlands.

"The participants in our show have a 33 percent chance of getting a kidney," Chairman Lauren Cyrillic said. "These odds are much better than in real life. In Holland the waiting lists for kidneys are growing every year."