The Hastings Center Report · 1986 · 25 citations · 0 references
It is argued that death should be understood as encompassing a series\nof distinct but related events. Human beings are viewed as a composite of two\nintimately related but distinguishable components, as both persons and\nbiological entities. Thus, a brain dead patient can be considered in some\nsense alive and in some sense dead. This thesis forms the basis for an\nanalysis of a case in which a brain dead pregnant woman's vital functions were\nartificially sustained until her fetus could be delivered alive, after which\nthe woman's life support systems were disconnected and she ceased breathing. \nThe author holds that this procedure was morally justifiable. He suggests\nthat a multiple-deaths analysis may provide a general framework for discussion\nof the conditions that justify maintenance of biological functions in\nneocortically dead human beings, but cautions that any legislation or policy\nregarding such cases should be flexible and should require consent. (KIE\nabstract)