Pig-to-Human Transplants Condemned as ‘Cruel and Dangerous’ After Death [Video]

Animal rights organization PETA has condemned the use of animal organs in human transplantation after the world’s first living recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney passed away just weeks after receiving the organ transplantation.

On March 16, Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, received the genetically modified organ at Mass General Hospital as a last resort treatment for end-stage kidney disease. The kidney, supplied by biotech company eGenesis, was taken from a pig donor that was genetically modified using CRISPR-cas9 technology to improve its compatibility with the human body.

The transplantation was celebrated as a “historic milestone” in medical research, which experts hope will make organ transplantation more readily available in the future. However, not everyone agrees with the use of animals in this technology.

“There never was anything to celebrate,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Senior Science Policy Manager Julia Baines said in a statement. “As we …