A 1981 presidential commission proposed a definition of death later codified in the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA). This definition requires or includes: a. Reversible loss of circulatory & respiratory functions b. Irreversible stoppage of the capacity for bodily integration and social interaction c. A metaphysical change in the very substance of the being d. An invariant procedure for the determination of death e. Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem

e. Irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.

Explanation:

The President's Commission in 1981 wanted to develop a fixed definition of death for ethical and legal reasons and, therefore, proposed a report which was later codified in the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA).

This report provided that death would be legally recognized -

(i) if the person has irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.

(ii)) if the person has irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions.

It also provided that determination of death should be recognized in accordance with the norms of medical standards.