Abstract
Although the concept of death by neurologic criteria is accepted throughout much of
the world and death can legally be determined by neurologic criteria throughout the
United States, the process is fraught with contentious ethical and legal controversies.
I explore historic and contemporary ethical and legal disputes about determination
of death by neurologic criteria including the need for consent from patients' surrogates
prior to determination of death, the role of religion in determination of death, management
of objections to determination of death by neurologic criteria, the approach to patients
who are dead by neurologic criteria but are pregnant, and gamete retrieval after determination
of death.
Keywords
brain death - ethics - medicolegal
