“When Are You Dead? Science Just Made the Work of Religion a Bit More Difficult”
Read a Feb. 16, 2010, column by By Arri Eisen at ReligionDispatches.org about the religious element to end-of-life issues.
Region: United States of America
“Catholic Directive May Thwart End-Of-Life Wishes”
Read a Feb. 27, 2010, article from Kaiser Health News about a Catholic directive on end-of-life issues.
“Caution urged after study on brain activity by ‘vegetative’ patients”
Read a March 3, 2010, story by Catholic News Service about a medical study that showed conscious brain activity in some people assumed to be in vegetative states.
“Delimiting Death”
In October 2009, Nature magazine published an editorial calling for a “realistic definition of life’s end” in order to facilitate the harvesting and donation of organs, among other things. The editorial sums up the current laws and policies and the state of the debate.
“Willful Modulation of Brain Activity in Disorders of Consciousness”
Research reported in the February 2010 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine indicates that some individuals with brain damage previously thought to prevent thought, consciousness and communication in fact possess previously unsuspected levels of awareness. Even if aided by advanced technology, they have the ability to answer questions accurately. Experts caution that this dealt with a small […]
“RCA Backs Off Stand On Brain Death For Transplants”
In November 2010, the Rabbinical Council of America, the central body of Modern Orthodox rabbis in the U.S., circulated a detailed report raising questions as to whether the organization’s longstanding acceptance of brain stem death as a definition of death comported with Jewish law. A majority of Jewish legal scholars cited said death was defined by the […]
“Obama Admin. Reverses Course on End-of-Life Provision”
On Jan. 6, 2011, the Obama administration reversed course on end-of-life counseling regulations due to concerns that they would revive the “death panels” controversy. Read about it in an article from Christianity Today.
“Law on End-of-Life Care Rankles Doctors”
Read a June 6, 2011, “Personal Health” column in The New York Times about a New York State law, the Palliative Care Information Act, that requires doctors to offer to discuss end-of-life care with terminally ill patients. California passed a similar law in 2009 and other states are considering similar measures.
“Bishops’ document on assisted suicide will be first by full conference”
Read a June 2, 2011, Catholic News Service story about the mid-June meeting of the Catholic hierarchy at which a document officially condemning physician-assisted suicide was up for discussion.