New Definition of Dead

New Definition of DEAD

3 Types of Death I Bill Vassilopoulos

Like most people, I used to believe a person was dead when there was no pulse and they could no longer breathe. But now, a new definition called “brain death” is used. Does that mean the brain is truly dead? And if the brain is dead, doesn’t that imply the heart and other organs, along with blood circulation and oxygen, have also stopped functioning?

So, what’s the difference between Brain Death, Circulatory Death, and Anoxia Death?

According to modern medical terminology, brain death is a concept that gives doctors the green light to harvest organs for transplantation—even for patients who die under Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

How Doctors Determine Brain Death

The medical field confirms brain death by showing the irreversible loss of all brain and brainstem function. This includes:

• Ensuring the coma is caused by a known, irreversible condition.

• Ruling out drugs, metabolic issues, or hypothermia that could interfere.

• Performing a clinical exam showing absence of all brainstem reflexes (pupil reaction, corneal, gag, cough, oculocephalic, vestibulo-ocular reflexes).

• Confirming no purposeful response to pain.

• Conducting an apnea test, which shows the brain no longer drives breathing when CO₂ rises.

If parts of the exam cannot be safely completed, ancillary tests like EEG or cerebral blood flow studies are used. Brain death is declared only after all criteria are met and documented by qualified physicians. A beating heart alone does not indicate life.

Criticism of Brain Death watch YouTube video, “Dr. Byrne - Jaw-dropping Discussion with one of the Founders of Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine” click on the link below… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7NgJJtJ-mI

Dr. Paul A. Byrne, a neonatologist with over 55 years of medical experience, disputes the concept of brain death:

• He rejects the idea that brain death equals true death, arguing that if the heart is still beating and circulation continues (even by ventilator), the person is biologically alive.

• He questions the apnea test, saying it may be harmful and does not conclusively prove death.

• He opposes organ donation after brain death, claiming organs are removed from patients who are not truly dead.

• He points out that some ongoing bodily functions in brain-dead patients indicate the body is still living.

• He also believes that people under “brain death” are recoverable

• He also says all organs are dissected while a patient is alive. Organs cannot be taken from a cadaver (dead person). It's medically impossible.

Circulatory Death

Circulatory death is the irreversible cessation of the heart’s function and blood circulation, meaning the body’s organs no longer receive oxygen or nutrients and cannot sustain life. Unlike brain death, it focuses on cardiovascular failure and is the traditional clinical and legal definition of death.

Even after circulatory death, a person can still be an organ donor. This is called Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD). Only certain organs—like the kidneys, liver, lungs, and sometimes the pancreas—can be transplanted if recovered quickly. The heart usually cannot be donated.

Thanks to modern techniques, doctors can use machines or special procedures to pump blood temporarily through organs to keep them healthy for transplant. This does not bring the person back to life—it simply preserves the organs.

Anoxia Death

Anoxia death occurs when the body—or a specific organ, usually the brain—experiences a total lack of oxygen. Without oxygen, cells die and organs fail. Organs may remain suitable for donation for up to an hour, depending on the severity of oxygen deprivation. After roughly an hour, almost all organs are usually unsuitable for transplantation.

Why the Definition of Death Changed

The definition of death changed in 1968 due to advancements in life support and organ transplantation:

• The Harvard Medical School Ad Hoc Committee published a report defining irreversible coma (brain death) as a new criterion for death.

• Life support machines allowed the heart and lungs to keep working even when the brain had permanently stopped functioning.

• Organ transplantation required organs to stay healthy, which meant death needed to be declared before the heart stopped but after brain function was lost.

• Medicine needed ethical and legal clarity to determine when life ended, especially in hospitals.

Historically, death was based on circulatory failure. Organs could not be transplanted because by the time the heart and lungs stopped, organs had often suffered irreversible damage. Brain death changed this, allowing viable organ recovery.

Who Can Donate

You might be surprised to learn that:

• Seniors up to 80 years old

• People with a history of opioid drug use or overdose

• Donors with HIV or Hepatitis C

• People having an STD such as herpes

• People with vaccine injuries

• People with severe disabilities including people with Down syndrome

• People brain dead*

• …can sometimes qualify to donate organs, as these conditions can often be medically managed.

• But the most desirable organs are from ages 16 to 34 years of age.

• Note: In 2024, there were 7,146 apparent opioid overdose deaths in Canada, averaging about 20 deaths per day. Alongside accident victims, these individuals do not necessarily require donor permission for their organs to be prepared for transplant. Preliminary deaths from opioid overdose deaths in the USA for 2024, is 80,000, or 219 people per day. More people die by drug overdose than gun shot wounds and car accidents in the USA combined together.

• “Brain dead” people are still the largest organ donors.

• Important to know: Doctors must first issue a death certificate before organs can be removed for transplant, and hospitals can wait for a up to five hours after “brain death” is declared, and it's generally okay, as long as the patient remains on life support to keep blood flowing to the organs. Once the organ recovery team has begun the procedure, the family cannot revoke the decision, and the organs cannot be placed back in. Dr. Bynes in his youtube interview video on December 5th, claims he had to go to Canada to try to save a female that had been admitted to a hospital because of drug overdose. Her family worried that she was admitted on September 14 and on the 20th they gave her parents a death certificate. Weeks later she was still in the hospital on life support systems. Click here at the 17 minute mark to go directly to the conversation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7NgJJtJ-mI

Unfortunately, a black market for organs exists, but it is illegal and extremely dangerous:

• It often exploits vulnerable people.

• Organs may be trafficked across borders.

• Donors often receive little or no care, and recipients risk infection or organ failure.

The way death is defined today can also appear tailored to benefit organ donation. In some countries, organs can be taken without patient consent, raising serious ethical concerns. There are reports where wealthy people have travelled to places like Asia or the Middle East for faster organ services. But these reports still need to be substantiated.

Recent Controversy

On June 6, 2025, The New York Times reported on U.S. organ transplant practices, especially DCD. A federal investigation found cases where an organ procurement nonprofit in Kentucky pushed hospitals to prepare organ recovery even while patients showed signs of improving consciousness. The report raised serious ethical and safety concerns.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded by calling the practices “horrifying” and pledged to overhaul the system, hold organizations accountable, and improve oversight.

Just a month later, the article was updated on July 20, 2025, a sudden shift that seemed strange after RFK’s public criticism.

Conclusion

Maybe the word “DEAD” has been hijacked, as some say. The term “brain death” can be confusing, and it appears to allow hospitals to move quickly to recover organs, especially if a person has registered as a donor, even while the patient remains on life support for hours. I’m not a doctor, so this is just an observation.

As a former Program Manager working with people with disabilities, I find it deeply disturbing and troubling to live in a country where vulnerable citizens are, in my view, treated as sources for organ harvesting. Think about it: a person living with Down syndrome placed on an organ donor list — how was that decision made? It certainly doesn’t seem like informed consent. There are cases where people remain on life support after organs are removed — why is that? Doctors are not maintaining life support to improve the patient’s quality of life. This does not feel like compassionate care, and calling it “being a hero” to save someone else’s life is questionable. When will this practice be reconsidered? And what about an 80-year-old placed on an organ donor list — our aging parents — does that truly make sense? Creating community harm-reduction sites for people with drug addiction to provide free naloxone to help prevent overdose—yet there is no national data system in Canada that clearly tells the public how many people have died from drug overdoses. Do their families even know when they have died, or is that protected under some confidentiality law? What about people who may have died from vaccine-related injuries—will data on vaccine outcomes in Canada really not be collected for 15 years? MAiD is not counted as suicide in our statistical centers in Canada. And by the way, the suicide numbers collected each year could actually be 25 times higher—but we may never know. And don’t get me started about people with STDs qualifying, under certain circumstances, as donor candidates. What do these donor examples have in common? Could it be that because they’re not part of the workforce or paying taxes, the system sees less value in continuing to fund their care — or is there another explanation? It really seems like we’re in the Twilight Zone — for real.

I believe Canada should pause the organ donation program, especially for MAiD patients. The public must be fully informed about the meaning of death and its implications. The system has gone off the rails regarding who qualifies for MAiD and organ donation.

I have personally instructed family and friends that I do not consent to MAiD or organ donation under any circumstances if I am admitted unconscious or incapacitated to a hospital or medical facility. I am not afraid of pain or suffering, nor do I wish to escape it—my Savior did not avoid His fate. If a hospital cannot honor my values and wishes, I prefer to have hospice care at home to die on my terms, as my father did in 2020. I’ll also be carrying a legal Medical Card in my wallet that I put together in order to protect and preserve my life. I’ll be posting my wallet medical card soon. If you're interested in finding out more about it, email me at: contact@billvassilopoulos.com

To be proactive, consider going directly to your driver’s license office to ensure you are not automatically signed up as an organ donor. It might be wise not to make these changes online or over the phone and instead go directly to your nearest driver’s license office or bureau. If you live in the United States, I believe most of your states have automatically signed you up as an organ donor, and you have to go to your license bureau to "refuse" organ donation rather than revoke it. You might need a lawyer or a notary to sign documents stating that you refuse organ donation and want to be removed from the list. Please take the time to talk to your family about your wishes. You may also want to review your life insurance policies if you have changed your mind about organ donation or MAiD.

Finally, folks, I might be a dreamer, but I want my old Canada back—where euthanasia was not legalized, and where people genuinely cared for one another and checked in on each other. All I know is that things have to change. We’re better than this. Please do your own research. Things have shifted since the introduction of so-called “compassion” campaigns, and today, they look very different. Please stay safe and hold your loved ones tight.

Sincerely consider reading Matthew 28:20 — “…I am with you always, to the end of the age” — and Psalm 23:1–6: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet rivers. He restores my soul; He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” NASB 1995

Warmly, Your friend,

Bill Vassilopoulos

P.S. I kindly and strongly suggest that you set aside some time to watch the entire video with Dr. Byrnes — a clinical explanation about “brain death.” It will give you clarity about the seriousness of organ harvesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7NgJJtJ-mI