For decades, brain death has been an important but problematic factor for determining death. Is it time for a new approach?

Scientists are investigating new ways to bring patients back from a vegetative state—and raising uncomfortable questions ...

The first brain death during pregnancy in which the fetus was delivered after time on life support, more accurately called organ support, occurred in 1981.

There are some who are advocating a radical notion to solve the organ shortage: broadening our definition of “death.” ...

In cases of brain death, where the heart may still be beating, the patient has lost all vital brain functions, particularly in the brain stem.

The case of a pregnant woman who has been on life support in Georgia since she was declared brain dead three months ago has given rise to questions about fetal personhood and abortion laws ...

A brain-dead woman delivered her baby in Georgia after being kept alive on life support for months. Adriana Smith, 31, was reportedly declared brain dead in February after suffering a medical ...

News outlets have been reporting the story of Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant woman diagnosed as brain dead in February 2025 when she was nine weeks pregnant. According to reports, Smith had ...

(The Conversation) — Adriana Smith’s body was kept on life support for 16 weeks so her fetus could gestate. Abortion politics don’t capture the ethical complexities of such situations.