Modern medicine’s ability to prolong life has raised legal, ethical, and social dilemmas. As science continues to refine and develop lifesaving technologies, questions remain about how much medical effort and financial resources should go into prolonging the lives of patients who are suspended between life and death. At what point should death be considered irreversible?
TTBOOK’s Steve Paulson hosts a discussion with medical director Christopher Comfort, organ transplant specialist Sam Shemie, ethicist Mildred Solomon, and attorney Barbara Coombs Lee. Among the problems they tackle are the morality of euthanasia in cases of deep coma or irreversible injury, the dead donor rule with respect to organ harvesting and transplants. Along the way, they explore the underlying assumptions and considerations that ultimately shape individual and societal decisions about life and death.
The discussion was held at the New York Academy of Sciences in November, 2013, as part of the four-part series “Rethinking Mortality: Exploring the Boundaries Between Life and Death.” It was presented by the Nour Foundation, the New York Academy and TTBOOK.
You can watch the 90 minute panel below, or download the audio.
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