Written by Heidi Klessig MD and originally published on LifeSite News on November 1, 2025. Read the original article here. "It is unethical, before the declaration of death, to use any treatments or interventions aimed at preserving organs or assessing their suitability for donation that may harm the still-living patient by causing pain, causing traumatic injury, or shortening the patient's life." Acknowledging recent controversies in organ transplantation, the world’s largest medical...

The apnea test, part of the AAN's brain death examination, can increase brain damage Apnea testing is a component of the American Academy of Neurology’s guideline for the diagnosis of brain death/death by neurologic criteria. The intent of the apnea test is to evaluate for spontaneous breathing, but the test itself is unverified, has no benefit for the patient, and entails significant risks. In fact, the Guideline states that there is a lack of scientific evidence to support the recommended...

Watch Heidi Klessig MD and Becket Gremmels PhD debate the brain death concept in this wide-ranging video! We review the topic from the perspectives of biology, philosophy, theology, and law during our friendly interchange of ideas on this controversial subject. Thank you so much to the Society for Christian Bioethicists for providing this important forum for discussion, and to the Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center for Ethics in Medicine and Healthcare at Niagara University for sponsoring our...