Adequate Definition Of Death 534987

What recent developments in medicine and society drive the search for a more adequate definition of death? Distinguish the main alternatives available and explain the respective considerations used to support them. What advantages and disadvantages attach to each definition, and what practical difference might it make if we select one or the other? Which definition do you defend, and why? Also, how is this discussion complicated by our increasing knowledge about different states of awareness? Use examples to clarify, including the recent Schiavo case.