A Japanese hospital said Monday it has performed a living kidney transplant between a same-sex couple, a procedure typically limited to patients with a family member donor.
While there have been previous cases of living kidney transplants being conducted between same-sex couples, it is believed to be the first time such a procedure has been publicly disclosed in Japan, according to Kyoto University Hospital.
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Takashi Kobayashi, a professor at the university who performed the surgery, said that the case could "become a valuable precedent for patients who have given up (on getting a living transplant) because they are a sexual minority."
The ethics guidelines of the Japan Society for Transplantation limit living donors to spouses, blood relatives within six degrees of consanguinity, and in-laws within three.
Marriage equality remains unrecognized by the Japanese government.
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Sometimes I legitimately forget that we are still living in a weird and fucked up stone age ... and then I read articles like this and I remember clearly ...
Given that the donor in this case was considered a third party, the hospital's ethics committee conducted a thorough review before proceeding.
"I believe the declaration under the partnership system became strong evidence to confirm free will and prove that their relationship was equivalent to that of a married couple," said Kobayashi.