Communication and Bioethics at the End of Life

Preface.- Recommended References for Beginners.- Section I.- Beginnings/Endings: Complex Issues with Pregnancy, Newborns, and Young Children.- Case 1 - Does the Nearness of Death Diminish the Value of a Life?.- Case 2 - When Cultures Collide and a Newborn Almost Dies.- Case 3 - When the Family Won't Decide.- Case 4 - Aggressive Treatment for a Child's Inoperable Tumor.- Case 5 - Is There Life After Death? A Case of Post-Mortem Sperm Retrieval.- Section II.- Decision-making: Families in the Mix.- Case 6 - What is the Standard of Care for a Corpse?.- Case 7 - When the Palliative Care Team Got Fired.- Case 8 - A Young Woman's Wish to Die.- Case 9 - When Parents Contest an Adult Child's Advance Directive.- Case 10 - Please Stop Torturing Me - Unless my Wife is in the Room!.- Case 11 - Who Should Make Treatment Decisions for a Battered Spouse?.- Section III.- Autonomy and other Ideals: Balancing Benefits and Burdens.- Case 12 - Something More Important than Life.- Case 13 - Are There Limitson Futile Care for Patients in the U.S. Illegally?.- Case 14 - To Treat . . . or Not to Treat?.- Case 15 - A Patient's Right to Treatment (and a Physician's Right to Refuse).- Case 16 - A Depressed Caregiver Neglects His Own Health.- Conclusion.