Times of India has quoted a medical study as saying that 4 of 5 living organ donors in India are women. On the other hand, 4 of 5 recipients are men.
The study has raised an alarm, with many activists and feminists arguing that the proof of gender bias is there for all to see. Women are conditioned to sacrifice, while men are privileged in a patriarchal setting, feminists argue. Singer Chinmayi Sreepada wrote, "Very telling information from an organ transplant coordinator. Not once in her practice has she seen a husband be a living donor to his wife. Women need to pack lunch boxes and donate organs but expecting the same for them is too much. Women are easily replaceable no, that’s why."
A female Twitter user echoed Chinmayi's views. "I remember my doctors telling me this: There was a toddler girl whose father had donated a part of his liver to save her life. They pointed out how rare this was. On the other hand, men received transplants without hesitation," she wrote.
Netizens argue that many Indian wives don’t want their husbands to go through the donor surgery but will happily be the donor because they have been conditioned to believe the husband's life is worth the risk but the wife’s isn’t. "This is classic patriarchal brainwashing," tweeted one Amrita.
