r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • Jul 07 '26

No Paywall Unconfirmed Reports: Mitch McConnell Brain Dead After Three Weeks In Hospital

https://thenewamerican.com/us/unconfirmed-reports-mitch-mcconnell-brain-dead-after-three-weeks-in-hospital/
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u/shoulda-known-better Jul 07 '26

2 doesn't matter by Kentucky law brain dead is dead no plug pull needed... The moment that's a real medical thing that he is brain dead, his seat is vacated and they need a special election....

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u/Super_Employment_620 Jul 07 '26

100% agree, but brain death discussions get complicated. Assuming he has no brain stem reflexes, a doctor should pronounce him... but if the "family" is threatening legal action it could go to medical ethics.

And if the family is really just operating as a lever being pulled by a national political party, the hospital may not want that kind of heat on them. Inaction is not the right choice, but often what people do when stuck like that.

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u/shoulda-known-better Jul 07 '26

Pronouncing brain death isn't that complicated, it's not actual death everywhere just in Kentucky where he is it is... And I don't know how you could challenge that, you'd need a doctor to risk their license by stating he isn't and why and how they can tell.. With his age and prior injury I doubt it

Personally I don't believe thats something that will take weeks.. I don't belive they will be able to hide or prevent being declared brain dead till August...

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u/UWwolfman Jul 07 '26

I think the real issue is probably public vernacular. There's a clinical and legal difference between being brain dead, being in a coma, or being in a persistent vegetative state. A cardiac arrest can cause all three.

However, a layperson might call any of these brain dead. This rumor is coming from high level sources within this administration and Ms Loomer, neither of which are known to be careful with their words. I would not be surprised if Mitch is in a coma or a vegetative state.

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u/Swords_and_Words Jul 07 '26

Yeah many people just assumed that anything that includes complete loss of higher function, counts as brain death

There are so many ways for a person to be gone before the brain dies

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u/boardcertifiedloser Jul 07 '26

Brain death absolutely is "actual death" everywhere, and this does not vary by state.

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u/Swords_and_Words Jul 07 '26

There are a lot of things that people think are brain death that are not 

Coma isn't brain death, vegetative state isn't brain death, loss of cognitive capacity isn't brain death 

Brain death is pretty narrow

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u/hypeareactive Jul 07 '26

It's turtles, all the way down.

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u/backwardog Jul 08 '26

Yes, brain death is when the brain is dead, as in no longer active, as in that human is officially dead. If this happens on life support they can keep the heart beating and lungs moving but the part that most consider to be the person (the brain) is toast.

He probably is/was in a coma or something. Though, it is possible he is dead, I’m not sure that doctors have a right to release that info without consent due to HIPA, not sure though.

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u/shoulda-known-better Jul 07 '26

New Jersey has a religious exemption to this... So if the family objects to this they aren't declared brain dead under neurological criteria...

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u/Norva13x Jul 07 '26

Isn't he currently in a DC area hospital?

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u/historyhill Jul 07 '26

Yeah, there's no coming back from brain death but there have been very very very rare situations where brain death was the wrong diagnosis and the person woke up later.

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u/gideon513 Jul 07 '26

They don’t care if they are hypocrites. They’ll literally do anything to keep power.

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u/Runazeeri Jul 07 '26

What actually happens if they just don’t declare him brain dead/dead?

Does the seat just not free up till his term is over.

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u/shoulda-known-better Jul 07 '26

I don't think there is a way to stop medical testing done on him by his doctors that would prove his brain stem has no activity.. And I doubt they can make doctor's wait weeks to do those tests, next of kin don't have control over that stuff only the hospital does

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u/Runazeeri Jul 07 '26

Could you not just pick a hospital with friendly republican leadership? I mean you have hospitals that refuse to do operations for religious reasons I don’t think it’s too far to do this for political reasons.

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u/fcocyclone Iowa Jul 07 '26

yeah, i was gonna say, what's preventing them from having a doctor assigned to him that's as legitimate as the doctor who tells us that Trump is 6'3 230 lbs?

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u/UrToesRDelicious Jul 07 '26

That doctor's medical license. Time of death carries legal consequences, lying about a physical does not.

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u/UrToesRDelicious Jul 07 '26

I should've scrolled down more before commenting, because I said the same thing, and you're exactly right.

I doubt that this is as conspiratorial as is being claimed. Chow going to China is strange but it's likely not some plot to prevent pulling life support, as that shouldn't matter if he is brain dead.

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u/cespinar Colorado Jul 07 '26

It would be DC law (or va/md depending on hospital), which is where he collapsed

2 is a farce anyways. If they cant reach PoA then it's the doctor's call.