File(s) under permanent embargo
New challenges to the legal definition and medical determination of brain death: a multi-jurisdictional approach – cases from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia
journal contribution
posted on 2021-01-01, 00:00 authored by James Tibballs, Neera BhatiaNeera BhatiaLegal definitions of death and its medical determination have been challenged in high-profile cases in several jurisdictions which define death as either cessation of all functions of the brain or only of the brain stem. Several patients diagnosed brain dead have recovered some vestigial brain activity. Plaintiffs, seeking to prevent withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, have sought to prevent performance of the key test, the apnoeic-oxygenation test, because it can cause harm and as a medical procedure requires informed consent. Reform of the American Uniform Determination of Death Act, which resembles Australian legislation, has been proposed to include specification of the medical determination of death and lack of requirement of consent to conduct testing. In this article we consider cases and proposals for law reform, concluding that the Australian definition of brain death ought to be retained but that the apnoeic-oxygenation test should be abandoned in lieu of testing brain blood flow and that religious accommodation should be considered.
History
Journal
Journal of law and medicineVolume
28Issue
3Pagination
831 - 854Publisher
Thomson ReutersLocation
Rozelle, N.S.W.ISSN
1320-159XLanguage
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC