Demonstrate your knowledge of the legal definitions of death by differentiating between clinical death, whole-brain death, and a persistent vegetative state

What will be an ideal response?

Clinical death is defined by a lack of respiration and heartbeat. Whole-brain death is defined using eight standards: no spontaneous movement in response to any stimuli; no spontaneous respiration for one hour; total lack of responsiveness to even the most painful stimuli; no eye movement, blinking, or pupil response; no postural activity, swallowing, yawning, or vocalizing; no motor reflexes; a flat electroencephalogram (EEG) for at least 10 minutes; and no change in any of the criteria when retested 24 hours later. A persistent vegetative state involves the presence of brainstem activity (respiration and a heartbeat) with an absence of cortical functions (e.g., consciousness, awareness). A person can "live" in a persistent vegetative state indefinitely if they are provided with nutrition via forced feeding.