You are in the hospital waiting room for intensive care patients. Your (mate, mo

Question

You are in the hospital waiting room for intensive care patients. Your (mate, mother, father, child -- choose your option) for whom you are the legal representative to make decisions in a situation where this person is comatose is in the intensive care unit. There was a tragic car wreck and this person was subjected to major trauma and has been on life support for two weeks. This person is no longer under sedation and has not been for four days, which means the lack of any upper, cognitive brain activity is not the result of sedation from drugs. This person is unable to breath on his/her own. The heart is still beating, but the physicians have explained that this can happen even though the upper brain is effectively dead, the part of the brain where cognition resides. This person shows no response and would have to be fed by a tube if kept "alive" in this state. The physicians are recommending that the breathing support be suspended/ceased, encouraging you and your family to consult with your minister(s) for advice and counsel. What are your thoughts on this?

Explanation / Answer

As it has just been four days since the accident , we can wait some more days to see if the person starts responsing to us. Until then we need to continue the breathing support . The doctors must not be given permission to remove the system for some more days. After that if the person is still in that situation we can consult the ministers for advice and then decide. But until then we need to be patient and wait for the person to respond .

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