Paul Brophy - Ethical Concerns Over Death By Dehydration

Ethical Concerns Over Death By Dehydration

Judge Lynch of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court argued that death by dehydration symptoms was "cruel and violent" in his opinion on this case because such a death involved:

• The mouth would dry out and become caked or coated with thick material.
• The lips would become parched and cracked.
• The tongue would swell, and might crack.
• The eyes would recede back into their orbits and the cheeks would become hollow.
• The lining of the nose might crack and cause the nose to bleed.
• The skin would hang loose on the body and become dry and scaly.
• The urine would become highly concentrated, leading to burning of the bladder.
• The lining of the stomach would dry out and the sufferer would experience dry heaves and vomiting.
• The body temperature would become very high.
• The brain cells would dry out, causing convulsions.
• The respiratory tract would dry out, and the thick secretions that would result could plug the lungs and cause death.
• At some point within five days to three weeks, the major organs, including the lungs, heart, and brain, would give out and the patient would die.

While this is all true for a person who is healthy, or even relatively healthy, this does not apply to a person who is otherwise dying. The brain damage that occurs when someone is in a persistent vegetative state means the physical experience is vastly different, and these physical changes are not perceived by the person in a PVS.