Jacob Orvidas
Ms. Stegenga
9/10/2012
Definition of Life
Life: Inception to Demise The question “when does life begin?” has been a topic that has received a large amount of publicity in fields ranging from biology to politics. It almost always leads to an opinion-based argument that does not have a correct answer. But what is often overlooked is the view from the opposite spectrum, “when does life end?”. These two questions go hand in hand but the focus is almost always on Inception. In my mind what truly matters is whether or not the legal definition of life and death coincide with the biological definition, and what your personal opinion on the matter is.
First, I would like to address the differences between being biologically dead and legally dead. The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) has been adopted by all 50 states to legally determine life and death. The UDDA recognizes whole-brain death, or death due to ceased function of the lungs or heart. Whole-brain death is constituted as “irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain” (USlegal.com). A person can be legally dead even if his/her cardiopulmonary system continues to function. This is why patients in a coma will be kept alive for long periods of time. The longest being Elaine Esposito, who lived in coma for 37 years and finally died. Which raises the question of whether or not being in a coma should be considered alive? Especially when it is taken into account that “last year, Medicare paid $55 billion just for doctor and hospital bills during the last two months of patients' lives” (CBS News). So if a patient's brain is not functioning, so that respiratory and cardiovascular functions are maintained only by artificial means, that patient meets the whole-brain standard of death. Therefore a doctor and family make the decision of when the “machine is turned off” ending