Commentary on Becchi

Abstract

"Today, it has become widely known among specialists that current brain death criteria are far from perfect. First, it became clear that some brain functions still remain after a “brain death” diagnosis. In many countries, brain death is defined as “the total loss of function of the whole brain,” hence if we maintain this definition, it is clear that the current criteria fail to determine true “brain death.” This may be shocking to lay people, because they usually believe that the brain dead person’s brain stops functioning, and they believe this to be a persuasive ground for permitting organ transplants. When Professor Paolo Becchi gave a lecture at Kansai University in 2004, a legal specialist commented that he had never known this fact, and it might influence his attitude toward brain death and organ transplantation."