Who Says You’re Dead?: Medical & Ethical Dilemmas for the Curious & Concerned

Our notions of the treatment of human life, medical technological, and prevailing laws have presented ethical dilemmas to healthcare givers, healthcare recipients, and their families. The advent of highly advanced technology and increased enforcement of privacy laws, has increased the likelihood of facing ethical dilemmas in medicine. This book takes a situational approach to ethics and introduces a variety of issues from pre-birth to end-of-life decisions that carry moral overtures.

The seventy-nine chapters are grouped into six parts, each with a specific focus. Each standalone chapter is only a few pages and can be read in a few minutes. Each starts with a scenario that ends with a question. The second part provides reflections on the scenario. These reflections address legal, social, religious and economic perspectives. They do not point to an answer but provide a framework for exploring the issue through its various facets. The reader is ultimately left with various reference systems, but no answers.

The text is easy to follow and is largely jargon-free. The Further Reading portion lists references by case, making it easier to look up cases of interest. This well-researched and well-presented book is recommended for general readers with an interest in medical ethics.