Is It Time to Abandon Brain Death?

Abstract

Despite its familiarity and widespread acceptance, the concept of\n"brain death" remains incoherent in theory and confused in practice. Moreover,\nthe only purpose served by the concept is to facilitate the procurement of\ntransplantable organs. By abandoning the concept of brain death and adopting\ndifferent criteria for organ procurement, we may be able to increase both the\nsupply of transplantable organs and clarity in our understanding of\ndeath.