Critical care specialist; added to list of specialists who can determine when patient is brain dead. (SB13)

This bill is clearly written to expand the pool of organ donors since the only people declared brain dead are potential organ donors. Neurologists have made mistakes about brain death but are the best qualified to make the determination, allowing anyone else to make such a life and death decision is tantamount to condoning euthanasia for the purpose of organ retrieval and will reduce the number of people wiling to be organ donors and recipients. Who wants an organ that one can't be sure the person donating was not finished using? Very bad idea from a very smart woman. Shame.

Senate passed it out of committee. Consequence: pro-lifers will no longer accept transplants in Virginia nor sign donation cards.

How can anyone think this bill is a safe and good idea? With all the difficulty even well trained neurologists sometimes have determining brain death the state of Virginia is really willing to allow the possibility of mistakes in declaring someone dead? Why? What and whose agenda does this bill serve?

Virginia excels at providing life and death authority to basically anyone who shows up and is willing to wear that veil of authority and do the job they are told to do. Same thing with DSS. You, me, the manager at 7-11 can be a "social worker" in Virginia. No license or social work degree required. Just a B.S. in anything, including business management and you can make life and death decisions for foster children, disabled and senior citizens. Find out who sponsored the bill and who asked them to do it. This is very scary. There is a reason professionals are required to do extensive training to work in their field of specialty.

Janet Howell, Senator, Democrat in Fairfax, member of the Mental Health Law Reform Commission. Big pusher of taking away civil rights from people with disabilites. Would not be surprised to find out she is a closet supporter of the infamous "Compassion and Choices". Google them but don't let anyone with MH issues go to their site.

So Virginia will lead the way again and not in a good way. Where were the pro-lifers when this was passed with no dissent. Hypocrites every one of them. Shame on you all.