When does it end?
| November 6th, 2007 at 21:09 |Everyone seems to focus on “When does life begin?”, especially when they’re involved in the abortion debate. Today I wished I could say for certain that I knew when it ends.
Wikipedia lists several options for when death is pronounced. It used to be defined as cessation of breathing and a heartbeat. Now there are tests for brain-death that include EEG (electrodes on the scalp) and radiology (to look for cerebral edema).
I did a test today to see if a patient was brain-dead. It disturbs me to think that I couldn’t tell how it would turn out until after it was over. I put such a high value on my feelings and being “in tune” with people, but I could not tell you if that person was alive or dead. I could not tell you if there was anything different about that person (at the most basic level) than any of my other patients.
How can I know when someone is going to call before the phone rings? How does anyone feel when they’re being watched? How can simple things like that happen, and there’s no way to say, “Yes, this person is alive,” or “No, this person is dead.”
I’m frustrated right now, and I’m not sure that this is as clear as I wanted it to be.
