Emma-Vegetative+State

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/08/national/main2546990.shtml
 * Vegetative State Article:**

Christa Lilly was put in a vegetative state in 2000 after suffering a heart attack and stroke She then woke up in three days in March of 2006 Doctors are now classifying her in a "minimally conscious" state

"The so-called persistent vegetative state diagnosis is commonly used to justify the removal of artificial nutrition and hydration tubes and has added fuel to the euthanasia and assisted suicide movement. The diagnosis, however, is increasingly being questioned as more patients such as Lilly wake up unexpectedly. " http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07030706.html**
 * This case goes against people who are pro-euthanasia"

Signs of vegetative state The brain stem is undamaged** A person in a persistent vegetative state has damage to the cerebral hemispheres - the areas of the brain that govern sophisticated functions like consciousness, self-awareness and personality. However, the brain stem is intact, so the person retains motor reflexes, sleep-wake cycles and the activity of their autonomic nervous system. This includes the regulation of many functions essential to life such as heart rate, respiration and blood pressure.
 * Some of the characteristics of a vegetative state include:**
 * The person looks like they’re asleep
 * They can’t wake up, talk or respond to commands
 * The eyes may open in response to stimuli
 * The person is able to move their body
 * Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration continue
 * The person can randomly laugh, cry or pull faces.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Coma_vegetative_state?OpenDocument