Good Care, Painful Choices: Medical Ethics for Ordinary People »

In an age marked by technical advances in medical science, there is more need than ever for clear and ethical decision making. But how can we make decisions when the lines between life and death seem to blur and when the technology of health care is so difficult to understand?

This book surveys the ethical issues of health care in a manner that makes them accessible to people without training in the field. Patients, family members and students will find this a valuable guide through the clutter and confusion of opinions. It offers a perspective that puts complicated issues in a comprehensible ethical context.

The book is divided into five sections. Part one introduces basic moral concepts such as personhood and conscience. Part two deals with questions at the beginning of life -- abortion, handicapped newborns and in vitro fertilization. Genetics, organ transplants and HIV/AIDS comprise part three. In part four one can find help in dealing with issues at the end of life such as foregoing treatment and euthanasia. The book concludes with social health issues, including informed consent and health care access and reform.

This second edition of Good Care, Painful Choices contains new material on cloning, developments in AIDS treatment and considers recent reproductive technologies.