Summaries / Resúmenes - Studia Moralia

IS THE BRAIN-DEAD PATIENT REALLY DEAD? 297Shewmon’s most developed argument from a Catholic bioethicist.56Furton’s essay, entitled “Brain Death, the Soul, and OrganicLife” is divided into two halves. In the first half, Furtondescribes the long and careful deliberation process undertakenby the Holy See over the thirty years that preceded the decisionof the Pope to deliver his address to the International Congressof the Transplantation Society. He concludes that the Churchhas given the question of BD adequate consideration and that“the small but vocal minority within the Catholic communitywho rejects neurological criteria has had ample opportunity topresent its case to the Vatican.” 57 This part of the essay, thoughinteresting, is not really relevant to the philosophical issues thatconcern us here.In the second half of the essay, Furton proposes his owndefense of the TBD criteria. He begins by outlining the anthropologicalframework presumed by the Catholic tradition. Notsurprisingly, his account is in substantial agreement with thePope’s – the human being is a body/soul composite where thesoul is the formal principle that unifies and integrates the body.However, Furton makes a distinction that the Pope does notmake. He emphasizes that in the human body, the soul is anintellective or rational soul. As Furton puts it, “the intellective orrational soul is the source of integrative unity in the humanbody.” 58 He then goes on to point out that medical science tells56Responses to earlier versions of Shewmon’s thesis from Catholicbioethicists and physicians include Eugene F. DIAMOND, “Brain-BasedDetermination of Death Revisited,” Linacre Quarterly 65 (1998): 71-79;Francis L. DELMONICO and Joseph E. MURRAY, “A Medical Defense of BrainDeath: Why the Standard Criteria Should be Preserved,” Ethics and Medics24 (1999) 2. Though these authors defend the BD criteria, none of them seekto refute the clinical evidence presented by Shewmon or challenge the interpretationof that evidence. Thus, they simply reaffirm and do not demonstratethat brain death equals death of the whole person. For further commentaryand discussion, see William E. MAY, Catholic Bioethics and the Giftof Human Life (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2000), pp. 302-30557Ibid., p. 457.58Ibid., p. 466.