Moral Reasoning and Clinical Ethics

Jason Wasserman, PhD

Shannon Stevenson, DO

Moral reasoning in clinical ethics - how do you define it, and how do you measure it? Lorell LaBoube finds out how in this edition of The Bioethics Channel.

Canada's Terri Schiavo?

Canada Supreme Court to make life and death decision on landmark appeal in December

Kirk Makin

Toronto Globe and Mail

May 17, 2012

The case is almost certain to result in a judgment that provides guidance on a complex medical and philosophical question: Who decides when it no longer makes sense to sustain a life?

Link: Ethics of Disorders of Consciousness, Joseph Fins, MD and Art Caplan, PhD, The Bioethics Channel, December 1, 2010

Mostly Dead vs Completely Dead

From our friends at the GeriPal blog:

Mostly Dead vs Completely Dead: A Distinction Best Left to Hollywood

May 14, 2012

On the one hand, we must strive to understand the logical, rational, ethical reasons for our actions and strive to use normative reasoning to guide our actions.  On the other hand, we must acknowledge that these irrational reasons carry some weight, like not wanting to cut into a person who might be slightly alive, even though such distinctions may be meaningless.

Link: Resuscitating the Dead Donor Rule, David Magnus, The Bioethics Channel, August 28, 2011

KCUMB: In the Trenches Conference June 21-22

For more information and to register for this conference click here.

The Legacy of Father Kevin O'Rourke

Father Kevin O'Rourke

The wit and wisdom of Father Kevin O'Rourke influenced a generation of medical ethicists and others who struggled with the thorny questions posed by the American healthcare system. 

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel host Lorell LaBoube takes a look back on the work of Father O'Rourke with Rosemary Flanigan and Bill Colby.

Flanigan Lecture June 11

Drs. Pamela Hartzband and Jerome Groopman

Jerome Groopman, MD

Pamela Hartzband, MD

June 11, 2012

6 pm Reception

7 pm Lecture 

St. Joseph Medical Center

Alex George Auditorium Bldg D

1000 Carondelet Drive
Kansas City, Missouri

The keynote speakers for the 2012 Rosemary Flanigan Lecture are Drs. Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband. They will talk about their new book,  Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What is Right for You.

This lecture is free but registration is required. For more information click here.

Better.Smarter. Faster.

The Power of Collaboration in Translational Research

2012 Annual Research Symposium

May 31, 2012

8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Hilton Garden Inn & Reardon Convention Center

520 Minnesota Avenue

Kansas City, Kansas 66101

Sponsored by the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute and Frontiers: The Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. For more information and to register click here.

The Ethics of Cultural Competency

Michael Brannigan, PhD

Cultural fault lines exist in healthcare with clashing moral traditions, principles, values and beliefs. That's according to Michael Brannigan, PhD, the Pfaff Endowed Chair in Ethics and Moral Values at the College of St. Rose in Albany, New York.

In this edition of The Bioethics Channel host Lorell LaBoube and Dr. Brannigan examine how healthcare institutions have responded to these cultural fault lines.

Pain Contracts in Canada

Chronic pain prescription agreement proposed

John McPhee

Halifax Herald News

May 2, 2012

The agreement, which includes obligations for the doctor and the patient, will be sent to the province’s prescription drug monitoring program. Any breach of the agreement will be recorded, possibly resulting in the termination of the prescription.

Link: Pain Contracts: Great Good or Great Harm?, Scott Fishman, MD, University of California-Davis, The Bioethics Channel, April 29, 2010

Top Ten Podcasts - April 2012

Lorell LaBoube, host of The Bioethics Channel

Another active month for the Center’s podcast, The Bioethics Channel. April downloads total 3,608 and we’re nearing 120,000 downloads all time since the program began in 2009.

Always happy to hear ideas about topics and interview subjects. Feel free to contact Lorell LaBoube at llaboube@practicalbioethics.org.

Top 10 Podcasts – April 2012

·         A Status Report on Clinical Ethics, Myra Christopher and MC Sullivan

·         Having The Talk" - National Healthcare Decisions Day", Sandy Silva, Gina Johnson, Ann Allegre, MD

·         Update: The American Pain Foundation, Mary Bennett and Eric Hauth

·         A New Era at the Center for Practical Bioethics, John Carney

·         The Ethics of OctoMom, John Lantos, MD

·         Treating Pain in Central MO, Joseph Pierle, Karl Haake and Richard Lillard

·         Religion and Medicine: Compatible?, John Lantos, MD and Farr Curlin, MD

·         Religion. Healthcare Policy. Do the Twain Meet?, Rosemary Flanigan

·         The Best Care Possible, Ira Byock, MD

Update: The American Pain Foundation

Mary Bennett

Eric Hauth

The work of the American Pain Foundation continues and in this edition of The Bioethics Channel Lorell LaBoube gets an update on the Foundation's work.