'...not just the premier
Christian bioethics institute in Britain,
but one of the finest in the
world, Christian or secular'
Most Rev. Anthony Fisher O.P., Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney
Life and Death in Healthcare Ethics
Helen Watt
In a world of rapid technological advances, the moral issues
raised by life and death choices in healthcare remain obscure. This book provides
a concise, thoughtful and extremely accessible guide to these moral issues.
The author examines, using real-life cases, a range of choices
taken by health professionals, patients and clients which lead to the
shortening of life. The topics considered include:
euthanasia and
withdrawal of treatment
the persistent
vegetative state
abortion
IVF and cloning
life-saving treatment of
pregnant women.
Clearly written and insightful, this book presupposes no prior
knowledge of philosophy. It will be of interest to anyone approaching healthcare
ethics for the first time, or seeking to develop his or her understanding of
some core topics in the field.
"The sort of book that has been needed for
some time. It is a fresh and challenging re-examination of core topics in
medical ethics, and will prove ideal as an introductory text for students
of medical ethics whether in philosophy or in medicine, nursing and allied
fields."
- David Oderberg
(back cover)
"This small, slim book can only be commended. Its purpose is detailed on
page 3 as being written with `both the general reader and students and professionals
in medicine, nursing, law, philosophy and related areas in mind'. As such,
it is intended for people who have no prior knowledge of ethics. Thus, it
gives a very good overview of the main concerns in ethics relating to death
and dying, but also to abortion and embryo destruction...
The tone of the text is very even and lucid.... When I was a novice in
these matters I would dearly have liked to have something simple that introduced
me to the subject. This book would have fulfilled this role admirably.
There is a comprehensive subject index, chapter notes and a bibliography.
The book is also very pleasing in its appearance. Its typographical style
makes it unusual and interesting to read. For students who want or need
a very basic text to introduce them to the subject, I could not recommend
anything better."
- Verena
Tschudin
Nursing Ethics 2001.
"The small, pocket format of this concise, thoughtful
and well accessible guide to some of the most important, dilemmatic moral
issues in modern health care, should not misguide the potential reader.
The book is excellent, readable, clearly written, well edited. Should be
"a must read" item for a health professional, student of medicine
or nursing, but also for a lay person encountering any of these "hot"
moral issues in his or her personal or family life.
The moral issues considered include: euthanasia
and withdrawal of treatment, the persistent vegetative state (PVS), abortion,
in vitro fertilization (IVF) and cloning, life -
saving treatment of pregnant women. Each
topic allows Dr. Watt to go masterly through difficult definitions, explanations
of notions, terms and principles, illuminate difficulties and peculiarities
of health care decision making, and illustrate the dilemmas with short case
presentations. The book seeks to offer 'a way of reason' for the reader
in taking a personal position with regard to the concrete moral problem.
The approach of the author is a personalistic one: it links morality to
human fulfilment (meant as the enjoyment of 'basic human goods' as life,
knowledge and friendship). This approach gives a central place to human
intentions in evaluating means for promoting human well-being. It lays stress
on the impact of choices on the moral agent him or herself (on the kind
of people we make ourselves to be by choosing what we do). This is for Dr.
Watt (and for many others) more to morality than the mere achievement of
`good results'. This is a refreshing, bright perspective in the current
foggy atmosphere of a pluralistic utilitarian despotism and personal pessimism."
- Jozef Glasa
Medical
Ethics & Bioethics Magazine, (Slovak Republic)
Spring/Summer 2000.
"I
can recommend this book as a very useful, easily accessible resource book
for health care workers."
- Mary Byrne
Bioethics Outlook,
March 2001
"It is a pleasant
change to read a book which manages to say a lot, clearly and in only a
few pages (a mere seventy one pages of text). This has been achieved by
keeping the focus narrow and the expression concise. It is not a book about
Healthcare Ethics in general, still less is it a general guide to ethical
questions surrounding life and death (in self-defence, in war, as punishment,
the honourable or dishonourable character of suicide, through hunger strike
etc., etc.). It is an introductory guide to the ethical issues involving
life and death in a healthcare context, specifically such issues as euthanasia,
abortion and in vitro fertilisation. These are important questions
in our day and Dr Watt considers the most significant arguments and sets
out a coherent position of a classical Hippocratic or Judeo-Christian kind.
This is not, however, a theological reflection on life and death in healthcare
ethics. There are no explicit references to religious texts or authorities.
The central argument appeals to considerations of a kind that could be accepted
by a well-disposed atheist if he or she acknowledged the inviolable dignity
of the life of human persons.
Many of the arguments set out in this book are familiar but it is useful
to see them presented again in such an accessible fashion. The condensed,
almost terse style may not appeal to someone who still has a long intellectual
journey to travel before accepting Dr Watt's conclusions. However, the use
of examples from life and the sensitivity shown in discussion of abortion
help to temper the dry philosophical tone. Often the expression is powerfully
acute. In a footnote Dr Watt considers the utilitarian argument that it
would be better to abort a handicapped child - and have another healthy
child instead, as this other child would, it is presumed, enjoy more pleasures
and fewer pains. She comments: `It is, in any case, bizarre to see a human
life as a replaceable container of pleasure, as if it is the pleasure that
is morally important, while the human being is not."
This is a text well worth offering to busy students, healthcare professionals
or interested readers who would like a clear concise introduction to the
issues surrounding life or death decisions in a healthcare context from
a Catholic perspective. I hope it finds its way on to many reading lists
and that it is read as widely as it deserves to be. Any introduction leaves
much more to be said (in this case not least from a specifically theological
standpoint), but a good introduction can help dispel pseudo-questions and
direct our attention to the real matters of substance. Even those who would
disagree with the conclusions of some sections of this little volume can
welcome the clarity with which the arguments are set out. This makes it
possible to disagree and to see where and why one disagrees. For someone
who agrees with the conclusions presented, it provides not simply a stock
of useful arguments, but further, a profound understanding of what human
values are at stake. The fundamental issue is nothing less than a matter
of life and death."
New Blackfriars 2000.
"This small book is described as a short introduction to some
bioethical issues that arise in modern Healthcare. The author is Helen Watt
who is Research Fellow at the Linacre Centre in London. That centre has
been actively involved in the controversies over abortion, euthanasia, cloning
and related issues as they have arisen in medical practice, due to the advances
in medical technology and the erosion of the Hippocratic ethic.
The book is 90 pages long and one's first impression is that it must
be only an introduction to complex situations, which normally require much
more discursive analysis. But it is deceptive in this regard, for the end
notes to each chapter are an integral part of the main text and allow for
serious lateral reflection on the ethical principles being applied.
The author's approach is from "natural philosophy" and is not
based on religious faith or religious premises. There are six chapters and
the first three begin with a case study. Each case is described and possible
ethical responses are set out and assessed as sound and reasonable. This
technique allows for a commentary on such principles as natural law theory,
utilitarianism, consequentialism and moral absolutes. As a particular concept
is encountered in the discussion, it is highlighted as a bold heading so
that the reader can quickly revert to a brief discussion of a particular
issue or ethical principle. Each section is then served by either an endnote
or a bibliography, which direct the reader to further sources of information.
In addition, the Index is quite comprehensive.
The book is simply presented and the author presents her arguments cogently
and succinctly. Its design is similar to a questions and answers format
and therefore is an excellent introduction to the field of bioethics for
students or practitioners who are engaged in health care delivery."
Thomas More Centre Bulletin Vol 12. No 3. Spring
2000
''Her case histories add human details to the philosophical
frameworks she presents and particularly interested me, a retired paediatrician."
Faith Magazine March/April 2001
"Watt,
who is Research Fellow at the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics, proceeds
by examining particular cases in the light of an ethical position grounded
in `natural', rather than revealed, philosophy. Thus one can agree with
her point of view without incurring (or at least acknowledging) any debt
to Catholic teaching. Without doubt this, along with Watt's judicious and
tactful tone, gives the work a wide appeal. Everyone concerned with these
questions should read it."
