In 1968, a committee at Harvard Medical School invented the concept of brain death, adding a second definition to the classic concept of circulatory death – the permanent cessation of breath and heartbeat, and the irreversible loss of function of the heart and lungs. Patients could now be declared dead while a ventilator kept their lungs 'breathing' so their tissues and organs would not also 'die'. The new notion of death opened the door for a growing number of transplant surgeons to harvest organs still bathed in the nurturing warmth of oxygen and blood. Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the statement above?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The passage asserts that "brain death" serves as a valid definition of death, allowing patients to be declared dead while mechanical support preserves organs for transplantation.
To weaken this argument, we need evidence challenging the core premise that "brain death" equates to actual, irreversible death:
• Option (D) states that brain-dead individuals have survived for more than 25 years on ventilator support. If a person can remain biologically alive for decades, it directly refutes the claim that the person is truly "dead," critically undermining the justification for declaring them deceased to harvest their organs.
Therefore, (D) is the correct answer.