#217 Determination of death 🗓
With Dr Trevor Stammers
Death is both a biological necessity and a spiritual norm. "It is destined for people to die once" (Hebrews 9v7 DLNT). Determining death was once relatively easy - the cessation of breathing and heartbeat for over ten minutes were usually considered reliable indicators.
But with the invention of the 'iron lung' in 1927 and the development of CPR in the 1960s, the determination of death has become more complex and controversial, particularly in the light of the way that the concept of brain death evolved in parallel with advances in organ transplantation.
More recently, increasing use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has raised further dilemmas over the determination of circulatory death. This seminar will explore the issues involved and Christian approaches to them.
Further resources:
Dr Trevor Stammers
Trevor Stammers was Associate Professor of Medical Ethics at St Mary's University, Twickenham until retirement in 2021. He is the author of The Ethics of Global Organ Acquisition: Moral arguments about transplantation, published by Bloomsbury in 2023. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/ethics-of-global-organ-acquisition-9781350227200/
