21.06.2017Living (brain-) dead? Philosophical questions about the brain death criterion and the transplantation medicine

Alexa Nossek, Institute of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Many people decide to donate their organs after their death. But how do you decide when a person is really dead? The brain death criterion has been a matter of debate for some years. Some people feel skeptical about it. The first part of this talk deals with the medical and legal issues of the brain death criterion. The second part discusses the definition of death (What does someone’s death mean?) and the death criterion (How can we determine someone’s death?). The question whether the brain death criterion is a viable death criterion will also be addressed. The last part highlights the ethical dimension and deals with the practical consequences for organ transplantations.