2017 Missouri Revised Statutes
Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
Chapter 194 Death — Disposition of Dead Bodies
Section 194.005 Death, legal definition.
Effective 28 Aug 1982
Title XII PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
Chapter 194194.005. Death, legal definition. — For all legal purposes, the occurrence of human death shall be determined in accordance with the usual and customary standards of medical practice, provided that death shall not be determined to have occurred unless the following minimal conditions have been met:
(1) When respiration and circulation are not artificially maintained, there is an irreversible cessation of spontaneous respiration and circulation; or
(2) When respiration and circulation are artificially maintained, and there is a total and irreversible cessation of all brain function, including the brain stem and that such determination is made by a licensed physician.
(L. 1982 H.B. 1223 § 1)