What Should We Do When Families Refuse Testing for Brain Death?
Two commentaries respond to a case about apnea testing to confirm death by neurologic criteria.
Professionalism
What Should We Do About the Mismatch Between the Legal Criteria for Death and How Brain Death Is Diagnosed?
Mismatch between whole-brain death criteria embedded in statutes and accepted tests physicians use to diagnose brain death have clinical and ethical implications that could undermine public trust in death pronouncements. We consider merits and drawbacks of 4 ways to address…
Should a Patient Who Is Pregnant and Brain Dead Receive Life Support, Despite Objection From Her Appointed Surrogate?
This article considers whether and when a physician is obligated to offer life support to the point of fetal viability to a patient who is brain dead and pregnant. Lack of ethical, legal, and clinical consensus about best practice in…
What Does the Public Need to Know About Brain Death?
Brain death differs from traditional circulatory death, and understanding how it differs is important. Public awareness of brain death is based largely on inaccurate media representations, common examples of which are described here. The purpose of this article is to…
How Should Clinicians Respond When Patients’ Loved Ones Do Not See “Brain Death” as Death?
Two commentaries respond to a case. Each considers religious or cultural values that sometimes conflict with medical standards of practice or law. These conflicts frequently occur at the end of life when stress and tensions are high and, if not…
Death’s Troubled Relationship With the Law
Death’s legal definition must be responsive to advances in technology, and it must delineate between life and death. But where to draw the line is difficult to determine. Death’s current legal definition requires irreversible cessation of cardiorespiratory function or irreversible…
Why Disability Must Be Included in Medical School Diversification Efforts
Individuals living with disabilities are underrepresented in the physician workforce, despite benefits of inclusion. This article describes how both ableism in admissions processes and expectations set by technical standards can perpetuate harm. The authors advocate for active attention to disability…
What Does It Mean for Medical School Admissions to Be Socially Accountable?
Health care workforce diversity is a critical determinant of health equity and the social mission of medical education. Medical schools have a social contract with the public, which provides significant financial support to academic medical centers. Although a focus on…
Ethics Talk: Why is Meat So Cheap?
This activity is comprised of five multiple-choice questions based on the content of an AMA Journal of Ethics podcast about economic incentives driving industrialization of meat. The featured guest is Dave Simon, a lawyer, advocate for sustainable production, and author…
Ethics Talk: How Medicalization Limits Public Health Effectiveness
This activity is comprised of five multiple-choice questions based on the content of an AMA Journal of Ethics podcast about how medicalization of public health undermines effective community-based governance responses. The featured guest is Dr Paula Lantz, the James B…
