Medical Ethics and the Faith Factor: A Handbook for Clergy and Health-Care Professionals

by Robert D. Orr

Overview

Clinical ethics is a relatively new discipline within medicine, generated not so much by the “Can we . . . ?” questions of fact and prognosis that physicians usually address, but primarily by the more uncomfortable gray areas having to do with “Should we . . . ?” questions:

Should we use a feeding tube for Mom? 
How should we deal with our baby about to be born with life-threatening anomalies? 
Should our son be taken off dialysis, even though he’ll die without it?
What should we do with our mentally ill sister, who has proven that she is untreatable?

In this book Robert Orr draws on his extensive medical knowledge and experience to offer a wealth of guidance regarding real-life dilemmas in clinical ethics. Replete with instructive case studies, Medical Ethics and the Faith Factor is an invaluable resource that reintroduces the human element to a discussion so often detached from the very people it claims to concern.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467433921
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/20/2009
Series:	Critical Issues in Bioethics (CIB)
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	520
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

 Robert D. Orr (1941–2021) was an expert in family medicine and medical ethics who taught at Loma Linda University Medical Center, the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Trinity International University, and Union University Graduate School. He authored and edited several books, including Medical Ethics and the Faith Factor.

Editorial Reviews

Journal of the American Medical Association
"This book is an outstanding resource for teaching medical ethics to students, residents, fellows, nurses, and allied health professionals, because its case studies can encourage much discussion and many questions. It can likewise be an exceedingly helpful resource in the training of clergy, especially in the context of clinical pastoral education. . . The book's content is excellent. . . Orr's approach is always even-handed. . . An exceptionally helpful book."

Stephen E. Lammers
"--coeditor of On Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics
"This is a splendid book. Orr not only gives us a sophisticated account of clinical ethics but also shows us how his account functions in many different types of real-life cases. A book to be consulted often by clergy, pastoral care departments, ethics committee members and, indeed, anyone involved in caring for the sick and their families."

John Swinton
"--author of Raging with Compassion: Pastoral Responses to the Problem of Evil
"How do we make ethical decisions within a health-care context which are both faithful and compassionate? Robert Orr provides us with a vital map of the ethical terrain and guides us carefully and sensitively into the complex area of theology and health-care ethics. Deep, practical, and theologically informed, this book will be a blessing for clergy, health-care professionals, and all who have a genuine interest in exploring how and why we might consider including theology as a central aspect of our ethical decisions in the strange world that is medicine."

From the Publisher