Re: Persistent Vegetative State
I think death,from the Islamic perspective, is the point where the soul leaves the body. Obviously, it doesn't happen exactly when heart stops because people can be brought back from this state. Exactly when a person cant be brought back from he verge of death is constantly challenged by science, but there definitely is one, clinically undetectable point when the soul leaves, and then bringing someone back is impossible. I'm guessing it occurs when key brain cells die, but who knows maybe one day science would be able to bring them back as well using stem cells or something. Obviously, no science can bring back the decomposed dead, so this will be one point that science will never challenge.
I think if Allah wanted this person with PVS to die, no amount of life support could save him/her. I personally think this person has the right to live, and nobody DESERVES to die just because they cant be kept alive without help. If it were so, we might as well just kill all our children?