Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Brain Death Lacks a Legal Basis in Germany

Rainer Beckmann, a lecturer at Heidelberg University, has just published this massive 900-page book on brain death.

Beckmann argues that the claim "brain death" is a certain sign of death ("concept of brain death") constitutes the legal basis for "post-mortem" organ removal. But when the legal principles of evidence for the examination of expert opinions are applied to the "concept of brain death," it proves unfounded. This also applies to the German Medical Association's guidelines for determining "brain death." They violate the Transplantation Law.  

The claim that "brain death" indicates death with certainty cannot be found in the law. If the arguments in favor of the concept of "brain death" are carefully analyzed, it becomes clear that patients with loss of brain function are not corpses.



1 comment: