Well and Good

The late John Thomas taught in the Department of Philosophy at McMaster University for over 30 years. Wilfrid J. Waluchow is Professor of Philosophy and Senator William McMaster Chair in Constitutional Studies at McMaster University and Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. Elisabeth Gedge is Chair of the Department of Philosophy at McMaster University.

Preface to the Fourth Edition
Acknowledgements


Introduction: Ethical Resources for Decision-Making



Moral Philosophy
Morality versus Ethics
Levels of Moral Response
A Variety of Perspectives
Some Basic Concepts
Five Types of Ethical Theory: Mill, Kant, Ross, Aristotle, and Feminist Perspectives
The Language of Rights
Concluding Thoughts

Chapter One: Relationships in Health Care



When Physicians and Family Disagree
Prescribing Birth Control to Minors
Nancy Olivieri, Bioethics, and Industry Funding
Ol’ Joe Terminal Illness, Addictions, and Respect
An “Over-the-Hill” Surgeon

Chapter Two: Health Care in Canada



Budget Cutting in Neonatology and Perinatology
Social Determinants of Health
An Artificial Heart — Allocating Health Care Funding
Canada’s Tainted Blood Scandal

Chapter Three: Consent



Research Involving Alzheimer Patients
Non-Consensual Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy
Discontinuing Forced Feeding of an Anorexia Nervosa Patient
Choosing Not to Vaccinate
Religious Conflict over a Life-Saving Blood Transfusion

Chapter Four: Reproduction



When a Couple Disagree over Abortion
Caesarean for the Sake of the Fetus?
The Legality and Morality of Contract (Surrogate) Pregnancy
The Role of Chantal Daigle’s Boyfriend in Her Abortion Decision
Fetal Tissue Transplantation
Too Old to Have a Baby?

Chapter Five: Fetuses and Newborns



Should Treatment Be Withheld from Patients with Severe Cognitive Disabilities?
Sex Selection for Non-Medical Reasons
Should Fetuses with “Milder Disabilities” Be Aborted?
Protecting an “Unborn Child”
Saviour Siblings

Chapter Six: Death, Dying, and Euthanasia



Two Different Requests to Be Left to Die


“Don’t Let My Mother Die”
“Please Let Me Die”


Sue Rodriguez: “Please Help Me to Die”
Tracy and Robert Latimer: “It Was Right to Kill MyDaughter”
Stephen Dawson: Should Severely Mentally ChallengedPatients Be Treated?
The Brain Dead as Teaching Materials

Chapter Seven: Research Involving Human Participants



Using Infants in Medical Research Projects
Diagnosing and Treating Heart Disease in Women
Who Owns the Research? The Case of the HeLa Cells
Access to Experimental Drugs in Catastrophic Circumstances
Pandemic Flu Ethics and Risk

Chapter Eight: Scarce Medical Resources and Catastrophic Circumstances



Dialysis Machine Shortages: Who Shall Live?
Ethics and Humanitarian Aid: Vertical Aid Programs
Payment for Plasma
Anencephalic Infants as Donors
A Baboon Heart for Baby Fae
Did Family Instability Justify Non-Treatment of Baby Jesse?

Chapter Nine: Genetics



The Nuu chah nulth Nation and Arthritis Research
Enhancement and Sport
Genetic Testing and Disclosure

Chapter Ten: Unanalyzed Cases for Further Study



Should Restraints Be Used to Correct Self-Destructive Behaviour?
Breast Cancer While Pregnant
Should Patients Be Informed of Remote Risks of Procedures?
Minors as Organ Donors
Failed Contraception, Genetic Disorders, and Parental Disagreement
To Resuscitate or Not to Resuscitate?
CPR and a Nurse’s Responsibility
”Don’t Start the Respirator”
Queue-Jumping in the OR
Allocation of ICU Beds
Vaccination Allocation
Genetic Screening and Family Disclosure

Index