A reboot?

 I've listened to the story a couple times and I'm still not certain I understand it. The discussion is about a controversial procedure for the harvesting of human organs for transplanting. From what I understand it revolves around at what point those organs can be taken. One doctor says the patient has already been declared dead, and another says something a bit different. Is being brain dead, dead? That seems to be the question at hand. If that is the case, then the first doctor is correct in his statement but what if the organs are still functioning? In this procedure when the patient is declared brain dead the arteries/veins in your neck that supply the brain are clamped off. Then, as it was explained in this story the organs are "restarted" artificially. The science says those organs are much better for transplanting than the old method. The question then is, are they being taken from a living body? From what I understand in the old method the physicians had to wait a minimum of thirty minutes before harvesting. Well, that's what I got from the story anyway. Sounds like another moral and ethical question to me. 

 I am an organ donor. I have that on my driver's license and in my medical records. If there are any serviceable parts left after my passing, you are welcome to them. Thing is, I want you to be absolutely certain I'm gone, forever, no possibility of return. I don't think I want you clamping off my brain, whatever little I may have left of that, while circulating my warm blood through the rest of my body. Maybe that blood would revive me! It can't help where it can't go! 

 Now we all say we wouldn't want to be hooked up to life support kept alive by machines. We don't want to be a financial burden to our family, we want peace for our loved ones, etc., etc. I've said all of that myself. I get it. At the same time, I also don't want my medical team too anxious for the harvest. I'm thinking a patient, cautious approach would be best. I'm thinking, let my body at least be cold. If I'm in a coma or something I'm not certain whether I would know that or not. I've heard of people waking up after years! It just seems like clamping off my brain removes all possibilities. I'm not certain why they feel the need to do that, I didn't hear an explanation for that necessity.

 Science and medicine are in a constant state of flux with morality and ethics. Doctors' take an oath to do no harm. " Primum Non Nocere " Latin for, first do no harm. There has discussion about changing that oath by some. Consider giving someone a lethal injection or assisting in a suicide. Are those actions doing harm? Well, it all depends now, doesn't it? Some say physician assisted suicide is actually a mercy, a professional procedure. Others say, just providing the "medicine" is the same as actually performing the procedure and still others say, it is simply wrong. I'm in the latter group. I do not believe any physician should help anyone die. I believe it is unethical for any doctor to perform an abortion unless it is to save a life, it shouldn't never to be to take one! I fail to see how ethicists justify that. Roe V Wade was legislation that said the Constitution guaranteed you the right to an abortion. Of course, that ruling has been overturned. I don't believe the Constitution gave you any such right! Ask any constitutional scholar where the word abortion appears in the constitution. It doesn't. Ask that same scholar where privacy is guaranteed in the constitution? It isn't. You have to read between the lines to find anything about any of that. Ask a doctor performing abortions, on otherwise perfectly healthy women, what the purpose of the procedure is. Is it ethical?

 Like I said I'm not certain I understand this new proposal about harvesting human organs for transplanting. My first impression is, no, I don't think so. It seems like a rush to judgement to me. I'm thinking, wait a bit. As the old timers would say, you can at least wait until he's cold! It's respecting life. That's my thought on this. Let's just wait, no jump-starting organs without attempting to jump start the brain as well. You know a car won't start without the ignition switch turned on. In modern automobiles you need that computer, same with people.