Ohio delays execution as inmate seeks to donate organs His mother has kidney disease and his sister has heart problems, but he said he wanted to donate his organs to "as many people as possible." The request was denied by the state's department of corrections which said it was "not equipped to facilitate organ donation." "Our department has extensively discussed the pre-execution organ donation request and concluded that it simply is not feasible," said Stephen Gray, managing director of risk management for the department of corrections. Harvesting organs "presents significant logistical problems" and "significant security concerns and risks involving Mr. Phillips," he added. It is not the first time a death row inmate has asked to donate their organs. But such requests are rare, said Richard Dieter, director of the US Death Penalty Information Center. "Generally prisons do not allow for such donations, though inmates have been able to leave their body for science," he told AFP.