When does Life End

bluedog · #11 (**permalink**) 01-29-2008, 06:46 PM

What about the person who has drowned, stopped breathing, and has been revived up to 120 minutes later with no apparent brain damage or depleted ability of cognation to reason? They have STOPPED BREATHING, THEIR HEART HAS STOPPED, by all scientific logic they are dead as all BRAIN ACTIVITY should have ceased. The only variable in cases such as this is hypothermia and its effect on hypoxia (the lack of O2). Are these people legally dead? In reality true death occurs when the spirit of man leaves his/her body (James 2:26). Thus, how can this be measured by man? As I pointed out, there are no set in stone circumstances of presenting someone as dead, when the spirit is called away the body stops functioning. There are to many examples of people being declared physically dead or being declared a "vegetable" only to be revived, to so flippantly dismiss them by technicality of definition for our own personal concerns is just not ethical at least and immoral at most. BD

oceanbreeze · #12 (**permalink**) 01-29-2008, 10:25 PM

BD;I..completely..agree..with..you..UNTIL...you..p ut..the..bible..verse..in..there..and..assume..you ..were..FOR..keeping..Terry..Shivo..alive.

naturemomma · #13 (**permalink**) 01-30-2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathanbforrest45

What determines death. The official determination is a cessation of both brain wave activity and heart function. Others on AWE have claimed its when breathing stops. Does anyone have any imput as to when we should definatively call it death?

While breathing is necessary to life it can be artificially sustained. There have been many cases of people who have quit breathing but remained alive long enough to restart the process. And while its true the heart an be made to beat by machine for a short period of time both the heart beating and brain function is required for life. As long as one exist then life is said to exist. With a non functioning brain even a heart kept running machancially will stop at some point.

I recently removed my grandfather from life support, the dr. did not declare him dead until he stopped breathing. He also said the machines would show "life" activity for a while after he stopped breathing.

My grandfather suffered a stoke as well as a heart attack. I personally saw life leave his body when he stopped breathing.

People will always argue about what is what and the science of it all. I guess in the end it only matters what you believe.

Carson · #14 (**permalink**) 01-30-2008, 06:52 PM

Who cares? What a waste of a thread

rob · #15 (**permalink**) 01-31-2008, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carson

Who cares? What a waste of a thread

I agree with you on this because you posted on it.

nathanbforrest45 · #16 (**permalink**) 01-31-2008, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturemomma

I recently removed my grandfather from life support, the dr. did not declare him dead until he stopped breathing. He also said the machines would show "life" activity for a while after he stopped breathing.

My grandfather suffered a stoke as well as a heart attack. I personally saw life leave his body when he stopped breathing.

People will always argue about what is what and the science of it all. I guess in the end it only matters what you believe.

The official time of death is determined by the cessation of brain and heart activity. Your doctor was incorrect from a strictly medical point of view.

This does not mean I think people can live very long without oxygen. I know they cannot but officially death comes when the brain and heart stops. Period