MAMAel lote of comments I’ll do my best.
However first and foremost, you amde the mistake many do and I reiterated several times not to make.
You said regarding the brain-dead individual “…and he is actually breathing, his heart still pumping — albeit assisted mechanically -…”
No ! while his heart is still pumping he is not still breathing. His chest may rise from the ventilator blowing in and out but so would a football if connected to a ventilator. I mentioned this a few times. A brain dead person, by definfiion is not breathing. This is key because according to R’ Moshe’s Family members including R’ Dovid, R’ Shabsi Rappaport and of course R’ Tendler this is why R’ Moshe recognised brain death as death.
Granted he heart is till beatig but there are cases with a heart beat where les man dipalug the person is dead eg decapitation. Which ARGUABLY can apply to a brain dead person. A body;s reaction to pain while [perhaps disconcerting is not an idicator of life even according to those who reject brain death.
“This is the part about higher brain activity after no basic heart stem functions:…”
Wny are brain waves a sign of life? A heart that stops is often declared dead even with an organized rhythm. It isnt like TV where pt flatlines. Quite often you wouldnt tell from the heart monitor that the heart stopped. The patient lacks a pulse and if DNR or after trying to revive but not succeeding the patient is declared dead with a heart rythm on the monitor.
“And this is the documented case I mentioned regarding spontaneous breathing, also from the same article:…The only possible caveat is that this author later went on to write a book about this subject, so some considered it a way to drum up business — although his evidence seems sound”
The caveat is sound. And the author left out a crucial part of the article. The article he cited is “A matter of life and death” and in that case “…upon subsequent review of the patient’s chart the anestesiologist had learned that the donor had gasped at the end of the apnea test…” The authro of the article left out the part that changed the entire story.!! There is still no documented case of someone actualy meeting criteria for brain death and recovering.
I skimmed your article by James Leonard PArk. You seem to be making a slippery slope arguemnt. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’m not much a fan of slippery slope arguments. We are discussing brain death which some poskim say is dad either because like decapitated or because not breathing. Neither of those apply to Coma, PVS or Alzheimers. So bringing them up just confuses the issue there are alll sorts of nuts out there I dont think every meshugana opinion should be used to shape policy becasue of a slippery slope.
“our mention of the Chasam Sofer’s ruling about not waiting after death for burial was informative, but quite ironic”
Fair, though the bigger irony is he wanted death to be declared sooner than was in vogue now it used for the opposite. Also almost nobody says kavod hames is an issue. Most poskim allow transplants from a dead patient.
” don’t know exactly what the doctors were doing or at which point they give next of kin the boot. Most likely she was saying her goodbyes before traumatic aspects begin,”
More likely is, it is hyperbole to make the story more exciting. Do you believe the media doesnt do that?