Allfreedom99 said:
I will say it another way. Lets say there is a man who had no living family and noone who knew him. He was hit by a car and was in a hospital bed in a coma. Now I would not do this ever but hypothetically...Tell me the truth, would you honestly condemn me or think that I am doing something criminal if I went into that hospital put a pistol to his brain, blew his brians out to end his life? |
Three things.
Coma != braindead. If he were brain dead the situation is quite different.
Assuming he is braindead (in which case yes I consider him dead) it is not within your authority to 'unplug' him. That is the doctors authority.
Once again assuming he is braindead - I don't think you committed murder but I do think that you just mutilated a body which is in itself a criminal act.
Edit: And yes I agree that essentially philosophy defines personhood as consciousness - that still isn't scientific though.