By BENEDICT CAREY and DENISE GRADY
The New York Times
Originally posted January 9, 2014
In one way, the cases are polar opposites: the parents of Jahi McMath in Oakland, Calif., have fought to keep their daughter connected to a ventilator, while the parents and husband of Marlise Muñoz in Fort Worth, Tex., want desperately to turn the machine off. In another way, the cases are identical: both families have been shocked to learn that a loved one was declared brain-dead — and that hospital officials defied the family’s wishes for treatment.
Their wrenching stories raise questions about how brain death is determined, and who has the right to decide how such patients are treated.
The entire story is here.
