Beginning Bioethics A Text with Integrated Readings

Beginning Bioethics: A Text with Integrated Readings gives students an introduction to the language of philosophical ethics before leading them through six major issues in bioethics. The bioethics section not only includes Ridley's clear explanations of all sides of a given issue, but also his analysis of a major, previously published article on that issue. It was written to accompany the third edition of Cases in Bioethics.

  Preface
    
PART I. THE BASICS OF ETHICAL ARGUMENT
    
  Introduction
    
  1. Motivations
    Avoiding Bloodshed
    Resisting Relativisim
    Sidestepping Religion
    Clarifying Your Position
    Persuasion and Public Policy
    Recap: Reasons for Arguing about Ethics
    
  2. Materials: Theories in Ethics
    What Is Ethical Theory?
    Deontology
       Deontology and Consistency
       Deontology and Special Obligations
       Deontology and Supererogation
       Deontology and Rational Justification
       Deontology and Conflicting Duties and Obligations
       Deontology and Indifference to Consequences
       Selected Bibliography
    Act Utilitarianism
       Act Utilitarianism and Benevolence
       Act Utilitarianism and Rationality
       Act Utilitarianism and Situational Decision-Making
       Act Utilitarianism and Predicting the Future
       Act Utilitarianism and Incommensurability
       Act Utilitarianism and Special Obligations
       Act Utilitarianism and Supererogation
       Act Utilitarianism and Inconsistency
       Act Utilitarianism and Injustice
       Selected Bibliography
    Rule Utilitarianism
       Some Strengths of Rule Utilitarianism
       Some Weaknesses of Rule Utilitarianism
       Selected Bibliography
    Rights
       Rights and Deontology
       Rights and Act Utilitarianism
       Rights and Rule Utilitarianism
       Selected Bibliography
    Ethical Theories in Combination
    Recap: Pluses and Minuses
    
  3. More Materials: Principles in Ethics
    What Is an Ethical Principle?
    Beneficence
    Respect for Autonomy
    Conflicts of Principle
       Paternalism
       Libertarianism
    Justice
    Recap: Principles in Outline
    Selected Bibliography
    
  4. Methods
    Rational Argument
    The Role of Intuition
    The Use of Examples
    Argument by Analogy
    Slippery-Slope Arguments
    The Joys of Compromise
    Devil's Advocacy
    Recap: On Being Persuasive
    
PART II. THE BASIC ISSUES OF BIOETHICS
  N.B. Each chapter in Part Two begins with an Introduction and ends with Study Questions and a discussion of Related Cases in Crigger, Cases in Bioethics, Third Edition.
    
  5. Professional Responsibility and the Rights of Patients
    Telling the Truth
       Knowledge and Autonomy
       Dishonesty
       Paternalism and Beneficence; Lipkin's Argument, "On Lying to Patients"
       Responding to Lipkin
       Placebos
       Recap: Full Disclosure
    Informed Consent
       The Importance of Informed Consent
       Informing the Patient
       The Patient's Consent
       Patients Who Cannot Consent
       Recap: Getting the Go-ahead
    Confidentiality
       Modern Complexities: Siegler's Argument, "Confidentiality in Medicine"
       Responding to Siegler
       Gossip
       Harm to Others
       Recap: Keeping Secrets
    
  6. Reproductive Rights and Abortion
    Reproductive Rights
       Naturalness
       Significant Relationships
       Recap: The Ethics of New Technologies
    Abortion
       The Sanctity of Life
       The Status of the Fetus
       Personhood
       Potential Personhood
       Opposing Abortion: Marquis's Argument, "Why Abortion is Immoral"
       Responding to Marquis
       The Interests of the Woman
       Defending Abortion: Thompson's Argument, "A Defense of Abortion"
    Responding to Thompson
       Rape
       Failed Contraception
    Recap: The Abortion Debate
    
  7. Death and Dying
    What Is Death?
       The Official Definition: The Argument of the President's Commission
       Responding to the Commission
       The Traditional Conception
       Recap: Defining Death
    Euthanasia
       Suicide
       Voluntary Euthanasia and Suicide
       Nonvoluntary Euthanasia and Murder
       Killing and Letting Die: Rachels's Argument,
       "Active and Passive Euthanasia"
       Responding to Rachels
       The Doctrine of Double Effect
       Living Wills
       Recap: Mercy Killing
  8. Research with Living Subjects
    Drug Trials
    Selecting Human Research Subjects
    Harm
    Unethical Experiments: Ridley's Argument, "Ill-Gotten Gains"
    Responding to Ridley
    Animal Research: Regan's Argument, "The Case Against Animal Research"
    Responding to Regan
    Recap: Sacrifices
    
  9. Mental Incompetence
    The Nature of Mental Incompetence
       Incompetent at What?
       A Conspiracy Theory: Szasz's Argument,
       "The Myth of Mental Illness"
       Responding to Szasz
       Incompetence and Autonomy
       Recap: On Counting as Competent
    Decisions About Treatment
       Treating People Against Their Will: Chodoff's Argument, "The Case for Involuntary Hospitalization of the Mentally Ill"
       Responding to Chodoff
       Paternalism and Beneficence
       Involuntary Sterilization
       Recap: Helping the Helpless
    
  10. Allocation and Health Care Policy
    Allocating Scarce Resources
       Health and Wealth
       Rights
       Justice
       Utilitarian Justice
       Libertarian Justice
       Egalitarian Justice
    Care According to Need: Nielsen's Argument, "Autonomy, Equality, and a Just Health Care System"
       Responding to Nielsen
       Recap: Fair Shares
    Organ Procurement and Transplantation
       The Donor
       The Recipient
       Organs for Sale
       Organ Farming
       You Stole My Heart Away
    Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering
       Choosing People
       Avoiding People: Purdy's Argument, "Genetic Diseases: Can Having Children Be Immoral?"
       Responding to Purdy
       Curing People: Somatic-Cell Therapy
       Changing People: Germ-Line Therapy
       Recap: A Better World?