PHILOS 2D03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Brain Death, Organ Donation, Brainstem
12 Mar 2018
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2 definitions of death: cardiopulmonary (cp) death occurs when there is an irreversible loss of function in the heart and lungs, brain death (bd) death occurs when there is an irreversible loss of brain functions. The dead donor rule (ddr: an organ or tissue donor must be dead prior to the organ or tissue procurement, organ or tissue procurement cannot cause death. Ddr is essentially a deontic-style prohibition on using a person as a means to some other persons end. The cp definition of death precludes irreversibly brain dead individuals from candidacy as organ donors organ donation much more difficult. The bd definition, by contrast, includes brain dead individuals as morally permissible candidates for donation organ donation much easier. Sanctity of human life = human life has intrinsic not instrumental value. Singer: we are going through a period of transition in our attitude to the sanctity of human life" (321)
