• home
  • bourbon
  • links
  • blog
  • bio
  • contact form
               donstacy.com

Brain-Dead Canadian Woman Dies after Son's Birth

12/28/2014

 
A February 12, 2014 www.cnn.com story entitled "Brain-Dead Canadian Woman Dies after Son's Birth" detailed a tragic scenario in which a pregnant woman named Robyn Benson suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was declared brain-dead.  Fortunately such horrors are rare.  The "silver lining" in this tale, however, was the fact that the fetus remained viable and was able to be delivered safely, via C-section, after the father requested that his brain-dead pregnant wife remain on a ventilator until a safe birth could be accomplished.

The LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOGger has no complaints about the handing of this tragedy by anyone involved in the case.  Justice was served.  The husband of the brain-dead woman was clearly the "owner" of his brain-dead pregnant wife's body.  Thus, he wielded ultimate decision-making authority regarding the disposition of the body.  After learning that the fetus remained viable, he chose to request that her brain-dead body remain on a ventilator until a safe C-section delivery could be attempted.  The relevant physicians and hospital administration agreed to proceed with the husband's request due to the probable positive outcome of the C-section.  After the C-section was performed (the birth of the apparently health baby), the mother was disconnected from the ventilator and died peacefully.

The only quibble I have with this story is that the reporter, Paula Newton, failed to mention the age of the fetus at the time of the fatal cerebral hemorrhage.  I am curious if the fetus was more or less than 24 weeks status-post fertilization at the instant of brain-death.  Why?  I believe that a rights-bearing human emerges at approximately week 24 status-post fertilization based on functional brain activity (evidenced by bilaterally synchronous EEG activity).  If the fetus was 24 weeks of age or older and viable at the time of the tragedy, then it would have been a crime - murder to be specific - to disconnect the brain-dead body from the ventilator, for this action would have caused the death of the rights-bearing fetus.  If the fetus was 24 weeks of age or older and non-viable at the time of the tragedy, then it would have been medical malpractice to not disconnect the brain-dead body from the ventilator.  If the fetus was less than 24 weeks of age and viable at the time of the tragedy, then it would not have been a crime to disconnect the brain-dead body from the ventilator, for this action would have caused the death of a non-rights-bearing fetus.  If the fetus was less than 24 weeks of age and non-viable at the time of the tragedy, then it would have been medical malpractice to not disconnect the brain-dead body from the ventilator.  So, without additional information, I cannot further categorize this story.

    LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOG

    Author

    Don Stacy is a 47 yo libertarian writer and physician.  His articles have been published by multiple libertarian-themed websites.  He practices medicine as a radiation oncologist in Hazard, KY.     

    Archives

    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    Categories

    All
    4 Fundamental Principles
    4 Step Heathcare Solution
    Abigail Alliance
    Abraham Lincoln
    Afterbirth Abortion
    Afterbirth Abortion 2
    Ama Bioethics Principles
    Amnesty International
    Animal Rights
    Animal Rights 2
    Banning A Risky Product
    Beneficence
    Bioethics Consults
    Blog Name
    Blog Plan
    Brain-Dead Bioethics
    Brain Dead Bioethics 2
    British Health Care
    Cancer Drugs
    C.I.A. Doctors
    Circumcision
    Classical-Liberal Bioethics
    Classical Liberal Bioethics 2
    Classical Liberal Bioethics 3
    Classical Liberal Bioethics 4
    Classical Liberal Bioethics 5
    Classical Liberal Bioethics 6
    Classical Liberal Bioethics 7
    Clinical Trials Reporting
    Clinical Trials Reporting 2
    Code Of Federal Regs
    Contractarianism
    Cooperative Groups
    Economics Of Healthcare
    Economics Of Healthcare 2
    Engelhardt And Children
    Engelhardt And Children 2
    Euthanasia
    Evidence-Based Medicine
    Facebook Ethics
    Genetic Results Return
    Genetic Results Return 2
    Guatemala S.T.D. Study
    Influenza Vaccination
    Inst. Review Boards
    Inst. Review Boards 2
    Inst. Review Boards 3
    Inst. Review Boards 4
    Inst. Review Boards 5
    Justice
    Just Price
    Kidney Sellers
    Kidney Sellers 10
    Kidney Sellers 11
    Kidney Sellers 12
    Kidney Sellers 13
    Kidney Sellers 14
    Kidney Sellers 15
    Kidney Sellers 2
    Kidney Sellers 3
    Kidney Sellers 4
    Kidney Sellers 5
    Kidney Sellers 6
    Kidney Sellers 7
    Kidney Sellers 8
    Kidney Sellers 9
    Liberation Biology
    Liberation Biology 2
    Liberation Biology 3
    Liberation Biology 4
    Liberation Biology 5
    Liberation Biology 6
    Liberation Biology 7
    Liberation Biology 8
    Liberation Biology 9
    Libertarian Bioethics
    Libertarian Premises
    Libertarian Premises 2
    Liberty Bioeth And Relig
    Liberty Bioeth And Relig 2
    Liberty Encyclopedia
    Liberty Encyclopedia 2
    Liberty Engelhardt Crit.
    Liberty Engelhardt Crit. 2
    Lives At Risk
    Lives At Risk 2
    Lives At Risk 3
    Lives At Risk 4
    Lives At Risk 5
    Lives At Risk 6
    Lives At Risk 7
    Lives At Risk 8
    Lives At Risk 9
    Mandatory Research Biopsies
    Money May Matter
    National Cancer Institute
    National Cancer Institute 2
    Neuroethics
    Nonmaleficence
    Organ Donation
    P.G.D.
    Phys. For Human Rights 1
    Phys. For Human Rights 2
    Political Triage
    Principles For Allocation
    Principles Of Bioethics
    Principles Of Bioethics 10
    Principles Of Bioethics 2
    Principles Of Bioethics 3
    Principles Of Bioethics 4
    Principles Of Bioethics 5
    Principles Of Bioethics 6
    Principles Of Bioethics 7
    Principles Of Bioethics 8
    Principles Of Bioethics 9
    Rationing Cancer Care
    Respect For Autonomy
    RTOG & NSABP
    Secrecy And Radiation
    Showing That You Care
    Sigrid Fry-Revere
    Skid Row
    Soviet Medicine
    Soviet Medicine 2
    Test
    The Carriage-Trade Trend
    The Chemist's War
    The Expanding Circle
    The Expanding Circle 2
    The Expanding Circle 3
    The Expanding Circle 4
    The Expanding Circle 5
    The Expanding Circle 6
    The Expanding Circle 7
    The Expanding Circle 8
    The Expanding Circle 9
    The Nathaniel Centre
    Tuskegee Syphilis Study
    U.N.E.S.C.O.
    U.S. Human Experiments
    U.S. Medical Experiments
    Warning Labels
    What It Feels Like
    What It Feels Like 2
    What It Feels Like 3
    Why Health Is Not Special

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    ANARCHO-CAPITALIST FLAG
Web Hosting by IPOWER