You Live! You Die! Who Decides?

You Live! You Die! Who Decides? A Textbook of Life and Death. Since not even science knows much about death and it is rolling in our direction at a high rate of speed we all need to learn as much as we can about it. No earthly person has ever returned from the trip, but we can prepare for it in several ways. The first obstacle to overcome in our minds about death is the universal tendency to deny it will happen, to ignore it, and to not prepare for it. If one has no faith, no religion, or no belief in God and this is one’s firm, fixed, and final decision then eat, drink, and be merry and let it happen. I can think of no reasonable solutions for that position. For the Christian the issue is settled and no further comment is needed. In my previous book on Biblical Beliefs there is an extensive discussion on the after-life and one is referred to that. Because of the almost universal ignorance related to the death of Terri Schiavo extensive studies are included. This involves the Grey Areas of Life, Life and Death Ethics, the Code of Medical Ethics, Bioethics, Anatomical and Physiological Studies of the Brain, Physiological Basis of Consciousness, Euthanasia and the desire for Death, 30 year Experience with Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in The Netherlands, Death and the Bible, Death and the Desire for Death in the Bible, and Humanism. Where one can and needs to be educated concerns the events leading up to death for you and your family. This requires knowledge of the 12 Levels of Life from Normal to Death. Only then can one place a value on the quality of life at each of these levels. One must also be able to separate out the clinical levels of Consciousnesses, as we know them from alert, to alert and confused, drowsiness, stuporous, deep stupor, coma, and deep coma. The Science and Legality of death is reviewed by describing Brain Death, Persistent Vegetative State, Florida law, Living wills and Terminal Care, and the role of Ethics Committees. To give one a perception as to what can happen to the brain, clinical examples of brain destruction are given. After being educated from this book one must then decide if they are capable of making Life and Death decisions. The truth is that some people cannot. In order to develop an action that will change the shameful condition of death decisions in America there is an Epilogue describing the needs necessary for action. This includes Leadership, Salvation, and the reversal of the widespread Biblical Illiteracy among Christians. With the knowledge in this book Congress should be able to develop a law or laws of the people instead of having the courts with ordinary men and their prejudices making them.