Mr. Golubchuk`s neurologic status is very different from what Terri Schiavo`s was, and neither are/were "brain dead" as that term is understood by neurologists and by the law. The differences have enormous medical, ethical, and legal implications, so shouldn`t be overlooked or misstated.
While there was so much sound and fury about the Schiavo case, the Golubchuk one is far more consequential, not only for Mr. Golubchuk and his family, but for the rest of society. As a physician, and one with highly relevant specialty training and experience of these matters, I was shocked by the position taken by those immediately responsible for Mr. Golubchuk`s mecare, and now I am beyond shocked by the position that has been taken by my Canadian colleagues collectively, as reflected by the statement put out this past week by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. Never before have I heard physicians anywhere in the English speaking world assert that it is up to them to
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