To address recent lawsuits that question whether the persistent of hormonal functions is consistent with death by neurologic criteria (such as the case of Jahi McMath), we proposed specific mention in a UDDA that loss of hormonal functions is not required for declaration of death by neurologic criteria.

University of Minnesota presents: Ten states and the District of Columbia currently have statutes on the books or a court decision that authorizes medical aid in dying (often called MAID) for adults...

A new Hastings Center special report considers how America’s aging society responds to the needs and concerns of people facing dementia. New therapies that may slow progression of this terminal...

In a recent commentary, physician Alan Astrow  expressed skepticism about the legalization of medical aid in dying.  He cited the subjectivity of determining whose suffering qualifies for medical assistance and...

What is at stake in calling extreme, end-stage anorexia nervosa a terminal condition? It may be thought to have implications for end-of-life decisions. I will argue that this is a mistake, although one that needs explanation.

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Michelle Brown-Yazzie Michelle Brown-Yazzie is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is of Salish & Kootenai and Oglala Lakota descent. She is of the Táchii’nii Clan and is...

The Hastings Center is pleased to announce the election of 12 new fellows. Hastings Center fellows are a group of more than 200 individuals of outstanding accomplishment whose work has...

We believe that the concept of brain death, though flawed in its present application, can be preserved and promoted as a pathway to organ donation, but only after particular changes are made in the medical criteria for its diagnosis.

In recent years, court cases and scholarly articles have increasingly highlighted discrepancies between the legal definition of death in the United States and the medical diagnostic standards for determining brain death. It has become clear to many that the 40-year-old Uniform Determination of Death Act, the legal standard, should be updated.