New England Journal of Medicine: 'Brain Death' is not Death - Organ Donors are Alive

LifeSiteNews ^ | 8/14/08 | John-Henry Westen

[yankeedame]

Now that a prominent medical journal has come out and stated that brain death and cardiac death are invalid criteria for true death, some are hoping....

Au contraire,

• So a "prominent medical journal" has printed a submitted article that stated "brain death and cardiac death are invalid criteria for true death". With all due respect bit...so what? This act of publication doesn't mean the NEJM agrees/supports/endorses of that particular. While individual members of the editorial board may or may not agree with the article, the medical journal itself does not. NEJM prints a lot of articles from a lot of doctors. That's its business. This article was one of them, nothing more and nothing less.IOW, this article is the printed words of a writer expressing an opinion or conjecture.

• Question: If "...brain death and cardiac death are invalid criteria for true death" than pray tell what is?

[Sgt_Schultze]

This brought me thoughts of the film Awake, part of which involved an aware patient on an operating table undergoing surgery. Quite a good film.

[antiRepublicrat]

I’m remembering a book where people convicted of various crimes were sent to live on an island prison where their organs were harvested over time as needed. Can you guys remember it?

[antiRepublicrat]

Question: If "...brain death and cardiac death are invalid criteria for true death" than pray tell what is?

Death is a process, not an event. It makes things difficult as we try to decide what point in that process constitutes death.

[floriduh voter]

Remember the young guy who woke up before they began???? He’s a happy camper.(early summer, late spring)

[theDentist]

I heard it on ABC and CNN. So much for burying the news.

[floriduh voter]

Your 23 is modern day China.

[Ouderkirk]

I can assure everyone that you will not want my organs in the event of my untimely demise. They have been well used, and there will be very little life left in them.

[Spirochete]

I have refused to be an organ donor,

Eventually, we won't have a choice in the matter.

[Steve0113]

Sorry, I meant the dialog, not the picture.

[Spirochete]

The Gil the A.R.M. story cycle to be specific, although there are echos of it in most of Niven's other universes. Well worth a read (as are all the Known Space stories), if you can find any of it. I think it has been out of print for a while.

I remember Niven's A Gift From Earth

A probe from earth delivered organ cloning technology to colonists at Tau Ceti. It caused a revolt and overthrow of the tyrannical organ harvesting government there.

[Dante3]

BUMP

[RayBob]

What I find interesting is the number of doctors I know who refuse to be organ donors. What do they know/understand that the rest of us don’t?

[wagglebee]

What do they know/understand that the rest of us don’t?

I have heard that many ERs WILL NOT go to the lengths to save a known organ donor that they will to save a non-donor.

[elk]

Aren't organs a private matter? Wouldn't that be an assault and battery, to take a living person's organs? I'd like to see THAT prosecuted!

Thinking of China's organ donations policy makes me ill.

[trisham]

Holy mackeral. This is incredible.

[Huck]

I FEEL HAPPY! I FEEL HAPPY!

[Jedidah]

So if cardiac death is not true death, and if brain death is not true death, what IS true death? Putrefaction?

I’m serious. Anybody here who can enlighten me in layman’s terms?

[Gay State Conservative]

I have heard that many ERs WILL NOT go to the lengths to save a known organ donor that they will to save a non-donor.

Not true.Being a known organ donor doesn't enter into it.Many factors do...age....underlying medical issues (e.g,patient with advanced cancer,etc)....nature/extent of injuries/illness and others and sometimes family's wishes.But not organ donation.