Easier Said Than Done

For nearly two decades medical ethics has matured in the fields of philosophy, religion and theology, and psychology. But now, at last, in Easier Said Than Done, a practicing physician describes the principles of an ethic that can justify sound medical decisions. Milton D. Heifetz, M.D., noted neurosurgeon and author of the controversial book The Right To Die, has made the tough decisions in tragic, often anguishing situations. As a member of hospital ethics committees for many years, Dr. Heifetz found that discussions of complex issues - many involving urgent matters of life and death - were all too often clouded by tradition, dogma, and gut reactions. A comprehensive moral foundation with the flexibility to respond to often rapidly changing circumstances is desperately needed if health-care professionals are to confront head-on the daily questions of medical ethics. Dr. Heifetz offers it here in a book that he hopes will help all who must make difficult medical choices: physicians and nurses as well as patients and their families. His insights will also prove invaluable to policy makers who are struggling to develop substantive rules for medical conduct.