Advances made in medical care mean that many critically ill patients with an acquired brain injury may survive with a disorder of consciousness. This may be in the form of a vegetative state (VS) or a minimally conscious state (MCS). Medically, there is a growing tendency to view these conditions as occupying the same clinical spectrum rather than be considered as discrete entities. In other words, their difference is now understood as one of degree rather than kind. However, is English law keeping pace with this development in medical knowledge? This article seeks to highlight the duality that exists in the legal decision-making process in England and Wales, and question the justifiability and sustainability of this dichotomous approach in the light of medicine’s current understanding on disorders of consciousness.

中文翻译：

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意识障碍：二元法律方法是否合理？

医疗保健方面的进展意味着许多患有后天性脑损伤的重症患者可能会因意识障碍而幸存下来。这可以是植物状态（VS）或最低意识状态（MCS）的形式。在医学上，越来越多的趋势将这些疾病视为占据相同的临床范围，而不是被视为离散的实体。换句话说，他们的差异现在被理解为程度而非种类之一。但是，英国法律是否与医学知识的发展保持同步？本文旨在强调英格兰和威尔士法律决策过程中存在的双重性，并根据医学对意识障碍的当前理解，质疑这种二分法的合理性和可持续性。