Lawyers and Doctors Struggle to Figure Out Who's Actually Dead

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There is a legal definition of death.

The heart and lungs ceased to function before 1959 in order to be defined as death. In order to save other patients' lives, doctors were allowed to complete organ donations from patients who were beyond a coma.

Brain death can be reversed or not complete. According to the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, the conversations start to focus on which lives are most valuable.

"We are legislating what states of life are worth protecting, which is very, very similar to the abortion debate," Pope said.

The case of the 4-year-old boy who was on life support for 20 years was pointed out by other doctors. The brain's control of puberty gives credence to the idea that the person is alive and well.

Our legal definitions may need to be expanded as we learn more about what makes a life, a life. If a program is shut down or destroyed, the creator of that program would feel a lot of grief. It's not clear what internal experiences make a person conscious.

Hospitals and doctors need to work in order to provide life-saving care to patients in need.

Although the legal terminology may change over time as medical advances mean more lives can be saved despite heavy brain damage or even brain death, the current standards are mostly just practical.

The 10-year old was forced to cross state lines because of the abortion ban.