Part IV Research on "brain dead" and "almost dead" patients declared "ethical"

RFFM.org ^ | August 14, 2008 | Bill Beckman

[Daniel T. Zanoza]

Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a series of columns first posted on the Illinois Right to Life Committee's (IRLC) website [http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org/] written by Bill Beckman, IRLC's executive director. The column discusses research on "brain dead" and "almost dead" patients. This series warns readers about end of life issues and the need to monitor the care given to loved ones. The IRLC director also describes what readers can do to protect themselves from the looming culture of death which permeates the thinking of many medical facilities in our nation.

The following was written by Bill Beckman

Life is precious, and it is certainly fragile for those burdened with a serious disease or injury. In today's health care arena, the certainty of care seems to evaporate when the patient's "quality of life" is deemed too low. This can lead to a battle with hospital ethics committees on whether patient care should be continued [see previous article in this series on RFFM.org, titled "Futile Care--What is it? Knowing May Save Your Life Or The Life Of A Loved One" *]. Ultimately, for some patients, recovery will not be possible--even with the best efforts of relatives to protect the patient's right to care and with the best efforts of medical staffs to provide that care. The right answers on reducing or ending treatment are often difficult and are rarely made with complete confidence.

When hope of recovery is gone, new threats to a natural end to this earthly life now present themselves. If the patient is declared "brain dead", is he/she really dead? ...

[anoldafvet]

From the headline, I thought they were talking about congress.

[NonValueAdded]

NOW do you understand why some of us were so adamant about Terri?

slip-slidin' away ...

[Sun]

From “Our Sunday Visitor,” the April 10, 2005 edition, by Lori Hadacek Chaplin, it was suggested to a doctor that they pull the plug of a little baby’s ventilator, because he had flat brain waves. The doctor did not, and little Joseph not only lived, but went on to receive straight A’s in school, run track and play baseball.

The doctor, Dr. Byrne, is now a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Ohio and HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT VOICE against using brain-wave criteria for DETERMINING DEATH.