Last week, on Straight Talk on Life Issues, we discussed the shocking dangers of the organ donation process. This week we are once again joined by expert Dr. Heidi Klessig as we continue our important conversation. Dr. Klessig shares more information on the process known as normothermic regional perfusion. We also discuss ways that you can give the gift of life without being subject to the dangers of organ donation.
Resources
Surprising Realities of Brain Death part 1
Surprising Realities of Brain Death part 2
Respect for Human Life – YouTube page
Welcome to the only YouTube channel for Heidi Klessig, MD. Here you’ll find her extensive work in advocating for the rights of individuals diagnosed with brain death, the ethics of organ harvesting and donation, survival stories from those diagnosed with brain death, and resources on how to keep you and your loved ones informed on brain death and its ethics and controversies. Everyone deserves to be informed about their end-of-life rights.
Respect for Human Life
According to Penn Medicine, the USA has almost 170 million registered organ donors, but what does organ donation fully entail for both donor and recipient?
The authors behind Respect for Human Life are dedicated to the informed consent of all registered organ donors, those considering donating their organs, their families, and the recipients of transplanted organs.
The Brain Death Fallacy
In 1968, a committee at Harvard Medical School redefined comatose people on a ventilator as dead. This redefinition of death was introduced in 1981 as a model law referred to as the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA). Now, “brain death” has become codified as a law that defines death in the United States. However, is brain death death? Dr. Heidi Klessig traces the history of the diagnosis from its beginnings to the passage of the UDDA and more recent attempts to loosen the law further. For the most part, the public is unaware of this ongoing debate, but it impacts them directly after a loved one has a head injury and requires a ventilator. This book is built on the clinical work and academic research of medical doctors, philosophers, and scholars who do not accept the UDDA definition of brain death as death and are experts in this field of study.
HALO – Healthcare Advocacy and Leadership Organization
The Healthcare Advocacy and Leadership Organization (HALO) is a voice for the medically vulnerable.
As a non-profit, Christian organization, HALO addresses a wide array of ethical issues including euthanasia, assisted suicide, rationing of medical services, and hastening of death in healthcare settings. In addition, HALO promotes life-affirming healthcare practices, life-protective advance directives, and compassionate care for the sick and those nearing the end of their lives. In all circumstances, HALO espouses in healthcare practice the sanctity and integrity of every human person.
HALO accomplishes its mission through intercessory prayer; widespread education; community awareness and assistance programs; interaction with patients, families, and caregivers; and referrals to appropriate resources when necessary.
Guest
Dr. Heidi Klessig attended medical school at UW-Madison, where she completed a residency program in anesthesiology. She was a founding partner of the Pain Clinic of Northwestern Wisconsin and an instructor for the International Spinal Injection Society. She now writes and speaks on the ethics of organ donation and transplantation.
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