Defining Death: The Case for Choice

What defines death: Loss of circulatory function? Loss of all brain functions? Or loss of higher brain functions, like consciousness? Advances in technology and medical treatment have made it even more difficult to choose from these three competing definitions of death, creating confusion for professionals and for families. In Defining Death (Georgetown University Press), Robert M. Veatch and Lainie F. Ross ’82 argue that deciding which definition to use is ultimately a philosophical or religious choice, and though establishing a legal default may be necessary for certain cases, people should also be allowed the space to choose their own definition based on personal beliefs. Ross is a professor of clinical ethics at the University of Chicago. She is also the author of Children, Families and Health Care Decision-Making, Children in Medical Research: Access versus Protection and co-author of Transplantation Ethics.