A Kidney Donor On Death Row?

How far will we go to accept another organ for transplantation? Our limit is currently being tested by a death row prisoner seeking to  altruistically donate his kidney before his execution in Texas. I am intentionally omitting the prisoner's name.

Most of us (in the developed world) think that China's documented execution of prisoners specifically for their organs is ethically unacceptable. And, permitting executions in the U.S. to be conducted so they produce transplantable organs has also been ethically avoided, even with the prisoner's consent. This current request is also not entirely without precedent. A prior death row prisoner was, indeed, permitted to donate a kidney to his mother. How is this new case different?

Organ donation to the general public has always been ethically challenging. Why would anyone want to undergo a serious operation with real complications (including the risk of dying) to save the life of someone they don't know? Well, it turns out that many people are truly good at heart. Even better, it turns out that some altruists have brains with anatomic differences from average subjects (controls). The amygdala (part of the brain that experiences emotion) in the rights side of their brains is enlarged, according to important work by Abigail A. Marsh.

Of particular relevance is Dr. Marsh's other finding that psychopaths have decreased activity in their amygdalas. Aha!

You certainly have doubt in the sincerity of a death row prisoner's motivation for donating a kidney, as do I. With donation would undoubtedly come delay in the execution. Even if you oppose the death penalty, it is doubtful that you endorse a prisoner's manipulation of the system. And, if you are opposed, consider the weight of potential organ donation on a jury being asked to determine whether or not to impose this penalty. Surely, it might serves as psychological salve for making such a decision. 

On the other hand,  perhaps the condemned man legitimately wants to be an organ donor. Maybe he dreams that such an act will change his everlasting fate - opening the gate to heaven, instead of hell? If this is so, who are we to deny him, especially if the life of someone on the wait list is saved?

Should we image his amygdala to ascertain the truth and make this judgment?