PHL 111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Organ Donation, Brain Death, Brainstem

• School: Tunxis Community College
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHL 111
• Professor: Minor

Document Summary

Intuitively it seems plausible that any concept of death would involve the irreversible loss of the integrative function of the organism as a whole . 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. 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.