Defining Death: Convergence and Conflict Between Clinical and Islamic Understandings of Death and Implications for End-of-Life Medical Decision-Making
Asma Mobin-Uddin, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Pediatrics,The Ohio State University Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities
What is death? How has it been understood by both classical and contemporary Muslim scholars? How does modern medicine view and define death? How do these viewpoints converge or conflict, and what implications would conflicting beliefs have on end-of-life medical decision-making?
This paper will address these questions and more from both a theological as well as a clinical lens, tracing classical and modern Islamic scholars’ views on death and comparing them with the evolution of how death has been defined in clinical practice. Legal and ethical issues affected by the determination of death will be addressed. Implications for end-of-life medical decision-making and palliative care will be discussed as will suggestions for bridging the gaps when conflicts arise. The presenter is a Muslim physician and clinical bioethicist who has decades of experience in clinical practice and community engagement.
This paper will address these questions and more from both a theological as well as a clinical lens, tracing classical and modern Islamic scholars’ views on death and comparing them with the evolution of how death has been defined in clinical practice. Legal and ethical issues affected by the determination of death will be addressed. Implications for end-of-life medical decision-making and palliative care will be discussed as will suggestions for bridging the gaps when conflicts arise. The presenter is a Muslim physician and clinical bioethicist who has decades of experience in clinical practice and community engagement.