My guest is Dr.Justin Cole, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, who specializes in pediatrics. We discuss the difficult and tragic case of Charlie Gard, the desperately ill baby who recently passed away in the U.K., in the midst of an international controversy.
What is behind the modern movement to legalize physician-assisted suicide? We interview David C. Gibbs III, President and General Counsel of the National Center for Life and Liberty. National Center for Life and Liberty Website: http://www.ncll.org/.
(by guest blogger Sam Franklin) My mother, luckily, died in the presence of six of her closest relatives — all of whom were born-again believers. Other patients aren’t as lucky. Consider “Ms. Ellen,” who spent her last days surrounded only by medical professionals — none of whom affirmed her Christian... View Article
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons by Dr. Heather Kuruvilla Just days ago, much of the nation was facing wind chill advisories and subzero temperatures. But walking around my neighborhood yesterday, I heard the sounds of rushing water as the snow melted, the song of birds, and the honking of geese. The... View Article
(by guest blogger: Erica Graham) How do we, as a society, decide when someone is mature enough to make their own healthcare decisions? Recently, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that 17 year old Cassandra C. must undergo chemotherapy to treat her Hodgkin’s lymphoma, even though she does not wish... View Article
Dr. Mark Pinkerton, professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville University, discusses the recent passing of Brittany Maynard. He has a unique perspective as both a physician and a father to a young woman with a similar terminal illness. (Note that the title of this podcast has changed from the former... View Article
Physician-ethicist Ezekiel Emanuel seems to love being at the center of controversy. One of the architects of Affordable Care Act, he is director of Clinical Bioethics at the NIH and chairs the Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at U Penn. He has frequently (and often unfairly) been criticized... View Article
A recent report by the Institute of Medicine is entitled: Dying in America. Among other things, it documents how poorly Americans understand their options at the end of life. The IoM recommends that doctors get paid for having end-of-life discussions with their patients. This idea was unpopular back in 2009,... View Article
Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002, amid reassurances that the practice would be used only under desperate circumstances. In the U.S., where euthanasia is illegal, many feared a “slippery slope” similar to the Netherlands. In this podcast, my special guest is Dr. Douglas Anderson, Professor of Pharmacy Practice. We comment on... View Article
Our justice system is embroiled in controversy in recent years, over a procedure that a majority of Americans support: the death penalty. Older methods, including firing squad, electric chair, or gas chamber, have been supplanted by lethal injection. This is thought to be more humane, and therefore less in conflict... View Article