Who Says You're Dead?

“An original, compelling, and provocative exploration of ethical issues in our society. I have not seen anything like it.” —Alan Lightman, author of Einstein’s Dreams
 
Who Says You're Dead? brings the most challenging and unsettling ethics controversies from contemporary science and medicine to the proverbial water cooler. Drawing upon the author’s two decades teaching medical ethics at America’s top universities and medical schools and his work as a practicing psychiatrist, this innovative book asks readers, when faced with complex, unsettling scenarios readers, What would you do? Is it ethical for an insured woman to pose as her uninsured twin in order to obtain lifesaving medical attention for her; a couple wants a deaf a baby and is willing pursue this via medical technology but should this be allowed?; a young man wants to donate a kidney to his father, but a tissue match reveals that he is actually not the biological son. Should this information be revealed to either father or son?; a mentally disabled man says no to a medical procedure that could save the life of his brother. Should he be forced?

Some cases are pulled from today’s headlines, others loosely based on cases reported in professional journals. A few, painstakingly disguised, come from the author’s own clinical encounters.  Every scenario is followed by a brief reflection of how various modern thought leaders (ethicists, philosophers, courts, political commentators, research scientists and medical professionals) have addressed the underlying issues.

In a society in which much of the public views many hot button ethical issues in stark, black and white terms, the scenarios in Who Says You're Dead? are designed to defy easy answers and to stimulate thought. It’s impossible to read just one.