RAZD writes:
Both my parents had "Do not resuscitate" provisions in their living wills. They were in their 90's.
I have a "turn off the machines when I'm a veggie op anyone else has to clean my diapers" clause in my will. I'm in my fifties. Not the same words, but that's the idea. I don't speak Legalise.
Indeed. The point we are making is that we have choice in how to terminate our lives, that this choice is based on medical knowledge and on ethics considerations for the patients. These ethical considerations have been developed over many years, and includes considerations for people of different religions to have different views.
One of the main benefits of this definition is that it allows for organ transplants to be made while the pertinent cells are still living and usable. This provides benefits for society.
The legal standard of death is very clear - from
What is the medical definition of death? (click):
UNIFORM DETERMINATION OF DEATH ACT
1. [Determination of Death.] An individual who has sustained either
(1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or
(2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, are dead.
A determination of death must be made in accordance with accepted medical standards.
From this definition it is then possible to define when human life commences that would encompass those same medical and ethical considerations:
UNIFORM DETERMINATION OF LIFE
1. [Determination of Life.] An individual who has sustained either:
(1) irreversible instigation of circulatory and respiratory functions, and
(2) irreversible instigation of any functions of the (entire) brain, including the brain stem, is alive.
A determination of life should be made in accordance with accepted medical standards.
Note that this is derived logically from the legal definition of {death} to the form of the legal definition of {NOT death = life}, and thus it is legally applicable and morally, culturally as acceptable as the universal definition of death.
This also allows for transplants (stem cells) before this threshold is reached, should that be the wishes of the woman.
By these two bookends, we then define "Legal Human Life" to be
UNIFORM DETERMINATION OF HUMAN LIFE
1. [Determination of Human Life.] A human DNA based organism that is capable of
(1) fully operational circulatory and respiratory functions, and
(2) fully operational functions of the (entire) brain, including the brain stem,
- is a living/breathing functional human being.
A determination of life should be made in accordance with accepted medical standards.
Enjoy
™ Version 4.2