Description

Bioethics: Health Care, Human Rights and the Law 2nd Edition Arthur B. LaFrance ISBN 9781422405871

This casebook explores bioethical issues by first defining the concept of an ethical community and the meaning of membership within it. It then examines the role of the individual, the dynamics of the patient–provider relationship, and concludes with discussions of major bioethical decisions. At its core is the idea that human beings live in relationship with one another as biological and social beings. The central questions addressed are how individuals can assert and respect their autonomy while recognizing the responsibilities and claims that communities place upon them.

A significant body of case law—much of it from the U.S. Supreme Court—addresses these concerns. This casebook brings those decisions into focus, including landmark cases such as Cruzan, Griswold, and Casey, along with lesser-known rulings, all examined for their bioethical significance. It also introduces newer topics, including the roles of memory and emotion, issues of physical integrity, and legal responses to sexual predators.

The updated edition of Bioethics: Health Care, Human Rights, and the Law covers a wide range of contemporary topics, including:

• Reproductive issues such as abortion, surrogacy, and cloning

• Identity-related matters including gender transition, family structures, and same-sex marriage

• Midlife medical issues like organ transplantation and tissue donation or harvesting

• End-of-life concerns, including persistent vegetative states and assisted dying

• The patient–provider relationship, with discussions on informed consent, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, competence, and medical experimentation

• Broader social issues, including the legal status of vulnerable groups (such as prisoners and individuals lacking capacity), questions surrounding anencephalic infants, medical testing, conscience and dissent in health care, and public health concerns such as tobacco and alcohol use, along with society’s responses to these challenges.

Bioethics: Health Care, Human Rights and the Law 2nd Edition Arthur B. LaFrance ISBN 9781422405871, 978-1422405871 & 9780327177692

Author
Arthur B. LaFrance