Evaluation of General Sources

Most controversies in the field of physiology and medicine are tragic. One controversy that sparked a huge debate in late 2013 and early 2014 was the brain death of Jahi McMath. McMath was 13 when she was declared brain dead. The hospital needed resources to help other patients, and wanted McMath removed from the ventilator. Her parents sought legal counsel to fight for McMath to be moved to a different hospital rather than to be taken off the ventilator.

Diagram of Intubation with a Ventilator "Bidirectional Flow During HFJV"

In an August 2015 San Francisco Chronicle article, the author claims that McMath's case is causing lawmakers and medical practicers alike to reconsider what makes a person "legally dead." In the case of this article, the primary audience is the general public. The article was not directed at the medical or legal community. The article describes in detail the legal process that McMath's family has undergone to try to keep their daughter on life-support. In addition, the article explains the extent and likely causes of McMath's injuries that led to her alleged full-brain death. The URL of the article is http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/letterstoeditor/article/Jahi-McMath-s-tell-tale-heart-could-change-6420669.php. The article was last updated on August 2, 2015. Graphics include photos of Jahi McMath. The author remains pretty neutral, although occasionally slips into the position that Jahi is not necessarily brain dead because her heart is still beating after several months of ventilation. The source links to other sources about the legal proceedings of the family.

A second source that I found, while less credible, is still incredibly useful. I found the Facebook page "Keep Jahi Mcmath on life support" (note: hyperlink will not work unless logged into Facebook). On the source's about page, the author describes the source as somewhat of a petition and a support community for people who believe that Jahi McMath is alive. What makes the source less than credible is that in the description, the author claims that McMath was undergoing a simple tonsillectomy while she began hemorrhaging. The hospital, according to other sources such as the San Francisco Chronicle, claimed that McMath was not undergoing a simple surgery, and that she was actually having three procedures done simultaneously to aid her apnea issues. The hyperlink is https://www.facebook.com/keepJahiMcmathonlifesupport, although this link will not work unless you are logged into Facebook. I have attached a screenshot of the page below. The page uses graphics intended to spark emotional responses. The position on the subject is clearly in favor of keeping McMath on life support. The page is constantly being updated by the general public whenever someone posts on the page. The most recent post is from June 4, 2015.

The Facebook Support page for Jahi McMath

While incredibly tragic, hopefully, the outcomes of the legal and medical findings will help doctors perform surgeries and treat any form of brain death with dignity.