Bioethics: Legal and Clinical Case Studies is a case-based introduction to ethical issues in health care. Through seventy-eight compelling scenarios, the authors demonstrate the practical importance of ethics, showing how the concerns at issue bear on the lives of patients, health-care providers, and others. Many central topics are covered, including informed consent, medical futility, reproductive ethics, privacy, cultural competence, and clinical trials. Each chapter includes a selection of important legal cases as well as clinical case studies for critical analysis. The case studies are often presented as moral dilemmas and are conducive to rich discussion. A companion website offers a curated collection of relevant legal precedents along with additional case studies and other resources.

Introduction

• Consequentialism and Deontology
• • Consequentialism
    Kantian Deontology
    Rule Theory
    Case Study: Dr. Mando
• Alternative Approaches
• • Principlism
    Particularism
    Virtue Ethics
    Feminist Ethics and the Ethics of Care
    Casuistry
• Do We Have a Moral Obligation to Obey the Law?
  Conclusion
  Exercises

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Canterbury v. Spence
    II. Jandre v. Bullis
    III. Gorab v. Zook
• Case Studies
• • IV. Emergency-Room Deliberation after a Critical Monocycle Accident
    V. Protection for a “Decisionally Incapable” Patient
    VI. Patient Coerced into additional Physical Therapy
    VII. Unwanted Procedure during Surgery
    VIII. Elderly Man Denied Informed Consent
    IX. HIV Patient: Confidentiality Hampering Informed Consent

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Lane v. Candura
    II. Morinaga v. See Vue
    lll. In Re Conservatorship of Pamela J.
• Case Studies
• • IV. Decisional Capacity and Brain Surgery
    V. Dementia and Decisional Capacity
    VI. Capacity after a Motorcycle Accident

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Cruzan v. Director
    II. Vacco and Washington Cases
    III. Carter v. Canada
• Case Studies
• • IV. The Last Day of Her Life
    V. Family Conflict: To Treat or Not to Treat?
    VII. Family Supports a Child’s Rejection of Treatment
    VIII. Patient Fails to Show up for Treatment
    IX. Assisting Death
    X. Terminal Sedation: Is it Death?

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Futile Treatment of a Newborn?
    II. Physician’s Right to Withhold Treatment
• Case Studies
• • III. Doctor Orders Aggressive Treatment; Nurse Objects
    IV. Appropriate CPR?
    V. Lake Erie Tragedy
    VI. Heart Failure, Excessive Weight, and CPR
    VII. A Family Fights for a Patient’s Life

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Lunsford and Tuma Cases
    II. Rogers and Mathias Cases
    III. Monahan and Morvillo Cases
    IV. Hoffman and Ross Cases
• Case Studies
• • V. Does the Nurse Know Better?
    VI. Potentially Violent Patient
    VII. Traditional Practice and Child Abuse
    VIII. Nurse Refuses to Administer Pain Medication

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Tarasoff v Regents of the University of California
    II. Reisner and Jarmie Cases
    III. Nasser v. Parker
    IV. Horne v. Patton
• Case Studies
• • VI. Disclosing HIV
    VII. Children Having Babies
    VIII. Betrayal by a Physician?
    IX. Dr. Dorchester’s Curiosity
    X. Student Kills his Classmate: Is His Psychologist at Fault?

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Commonwealth v. Schaible
    II. Quintero v. Encarnacion
    III. Quintanilla v. Dunkelmen
• Case Studies
• • IV. An Infant in a Persistent Vegetative State
    V. Elder Abuse?
    VI. An Amish Couple Refuses Treatment for Their Infant Daughter
    VII. Newly Arrived Immigrant and Adherence to Treatment
    VIII. Three Wives

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. Roe and Casey Cases
    
  • II. Becker v. Chessin
    
  • III. K.M. v E.G.
    
  • IV. Szafranski v. Dunston
• Case Studies
• • I. Sterilization of a Developmentally Delayed Child
    
  • II. Doubts about Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
    
  • III. Human Cloning
    
  • IV. Abortion Advice

• Introduction
  
• Legal Cases
• • I. Suthers, et al v. Amgen, Inc.
    
  • II. Cacchillo v. Insmed, Inc.
• Case Studies
• • I. Mr. Rosewald’s Decision
    
  • II. An Incidental Finding from a Brain Scan
    
  • III. Was it Morally Appropriate to Stop Cancer Trial?
    
  • IV. Dr. Rife’s Conflict of Interest

• Introduction
  Legal Cases
• • I. McFall v. Shrimp
    
  • II. Strunk and Pescinski Cases
    
  • III. Hart v. Brown
• Case Studies
• • I. Drug Dealer Wants a New Heart
    
  • II. Transplantation and Blood Products
    
  • III. Coerced Donation

Appendix: Basic Law

The American Legal System

• Common Law
  Statutory Law
  Executive Orders and Agencies
  Constitutional Law
  Criminal and Civil Law
  Lawsuits