Blurred lines: redefining life and death

Abstract

Reviews the book, The Law of Life and Death by Elizabeth Price Foley (see record 2010-24776-000). Elizabeth Price Foley's book, The Law of Life and Death, provides insights to the history of processes and misadventures of the legal system aimed at defining what inherently cannot be defined-life and death. Foley dedicates the first part of her book to the issues pertaining to defining life, and the second to death. She takes us through a chronological progression of the issues faced by the legal system over the years, a sort of blow-by-blow account if you will, that elucidates not only decisions arrived at by the courts but also the points at which, in her opinion, they faltered. Foley's book then turns to a discussion regarding the definition of death, which, being a more medical and less philosophical discussion, is perhaps of more interest to the readers of Brain. Some discourse is devoted to cardiac death, which in most ways is more simple and straightforward, although not uniformly so. A more extensive discussion ensues regarding the concept of brain death, including its various ethical arguments over the years. These are mainly of historical interest, since the concept of brain death has only recently become more widely and uniformly adopted, not only in developed but also developing countries. Foley does a fine job of discussing the legal accomplishments regarding life and death. My main reservation about the book is that it provides a rather biased view of the actions on the part of physicians to try to work within the constructs established by society and the legal system, and does so without giving a voice to the expert clinicians involved. Although her work is thought provoking and stimulating, it unfairly represents the medical profession's interests and approach to a critical aspect of their work, and can only serve to erode public trust in the medical profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)