Taking Issue

by Brody, Baruch A.

• ISBN13: 9781589010338
• ISBN10: 1589010337
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-01
• Publisher: Georgetown Univ Pr

Summary

Baruch A. Brody has often taken issue with conventional bioethical wisdom and challenged the rigid principalism of contemporary bioethics. A pioneer in the theory of pluralistic casuistry, his views have been seen as controversial but they are firmly held, eloquently presented, and convincingly argued -- all of which have led him to be one of the most widely discussed and highly admired bioethicists of our time. sWhen it comes to morality as it is practiced in medicine, Brody makes clear that the ethical issues are never as simple as black and white -- that there are myriad factors and fine nuances that can and should challenge decision making as it is commonly practiced in difficult medical cases. In this collection, delving thoughtfully and systematically into methodology, research ethics, clinical ethics, and Jewish medical ethics, he tackles thorny life-and-death questions head-on and fearlessly. He casts a light into all the corners of end-of-life decisions -- a field in which he has exemplary credentials -- while illuminating a new understanding of morality and ethics. sNo one interested in the field of bioethics or the philosophy of medicine can ignore the significant contributions or the moral challenges that Brody brings to any discussion of the important issues to be found in medical ethics. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Baruch A. Brody is the Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine. He is also a professor of philosophy at Rice University and director of the Ethics program at the Methodist Hospital

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(30)
Methodology
1. Pluralistic Moral Theory	31	(14)
2. Intuitions and Objective Moral Knowledge	45	(12)
3. Assessing Empirical Research in Bioethics	57	(12)
II. Research Ethics
4. Research Ethics: International Perspectives	69	(11)
5. The Ethics of Controlled Clinical Trials	80	(17)
6. In Cases of Emergency, No Need for Consent	97	(5)
7. Making Informed Consent Meaningful	102	(9)
8. When Are Placebo-Controlled Trials No Longer Appropriate?	111	(13)
9. Ethical Issues in Clinical Trials in Developing Countries	124	(8)
10. The New Declaration of Helsinki May Be Dangerous to the Health of Developing Countries	132	(5)
11. Defending Animal Research: An International Perspective	137	(20)
III. Clinical Ethics
12. Withdrawal of Treatment versus Killing of Patients	157	(16)
13. Special Ethical Issues in the Management of Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) Patients	173	(23)
14. The Role of Futility in Health Care Reform	196	(12)
15. How Much of the Brain Must Be Dead?	208	(13)
IV. Jewish Medical Ethics
16. Jewish Reflections on Life and Death Decision Making	221	(8)
17. A Historical Introduction to Jewish Casuistry on Suicide and Euthanasia	229	(36)
18. The Use of Halakhic Material in Discussions of Medical Ethics	265	(12)
Index	277