In 1968, without any tests, studies, or evidence, doctors began declaring certain comatose people brain dead. This diagnosis has always been controversial, as from its inception, the concept of brain death has lacked a clear basis in fact. In 2023, “Because of the lack of high-quality evidence on the subject […],” the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) actually used a majority vote, not the scientific method, in determining its new brain death diagnosis guideline.
The world-renowned neurologist and one-time supporter of brain death as death, Dr. D. Alan Shewmon, was not invited to cast his vote. He now opposes the brain death dogma on scientific grounds and recently published a paper addressing the fact that the new AAN guideline was written without any debate over the fundamental concept underlying brain death…