Recently a friend of a friend overdosed on introvious drugs, this person is a 100% brain dead. They were declared dead last night. They are keeping him on life support because he is an organ donar his next of kin has asked that the "plug br pulled" can they keep him alive against the wishes of the family?
2006-10-17 07:56:47 · 6 answers · asked by fade4pink 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
He is a drug user...would allof his organs not be "poisoned"?
2006-10-17 08:06:43 · update #1
After time and the IV drip, the drugs will dissipate from his organs. However, having organ donor on your license is a legal, binding contract with the state that not even your family can override. However, I have seen families raise such a fuss that they just dropped it and the family removed the life support. They keep you on life support long enough to first cleanse the drugs from the organs and to find suitable recipients. But if his family is really against the donation, the transplant team will back down and let it go, they are too afraid of being sued to pursue it any further, not to mention it could take days to get a judge to enforce the donation. My sympathies to you.
2006-10-17 15:57:53 · answer #1 · answered by Reagan 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If they are keeping him alive on machines, then he is not dead. Dead and brain dead are diffeent. and they can do this against the wishes of the family for a little while at least if the person does not have a living will stating what they want to happen to them in this situaion. My parents have a will, and it has a section that states that if something happens to both of them and they are in this state, it is my decision to weigh all of the info and make a choice, but their wishes are to have the plug pulled if there is no hope after 1 week. With that will, no hospital can keep them alive, it is a legal document.
2006-10-17 15:07:57 · answer #2 · answered by Jon C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Legally and ethically, both yes. His wishes take precedence over the family's..The family can persue court orders to pull the plug, but the courts always err on the side of life.
Something here does not sound right. Transplant harvests need to be done as soon as possible after brain death because of tissue deterioration. Perhaps the was no Living Will or the parents are protesting organ donation.
Herein is a good message for all of us. If we want our wishes enforced after death, we need to put it in writing, legally first.
2006-10-17 15:30:48 · answer #3 · answered by bob h 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he is an organ donor, his body needs to be kept on life support until they remove the organs. In this case, his wishes supercede the wishes of his family.
2006-10-17 15:04:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes they can he wanted to be a organ donar. they have to respect his wishes. Not the family.
2006-10-17 15:10:42 · answer #5 · answered by Debbie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no they can't
2006-10-17 15:04:57 · answer #6 · answered by Katie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋