Although modern developments in medical science have produced some dramatic benefits, they have also raised difficult and sometimes controversial moral and legal questions. How much information should a physician give to a patient? If preserving the life means increasing suffering, should every means be exercised to prolong life? Should we screen the population and reduce the reproductive freedom of individuals with genetic diseases? Frank Harron, John Burnside, and Tom Beauchamp examine these and many other questions confronted today by health care professionals, patients and their families, policy makers, and all informed, responsible citizens. They explore such provocative problems as euthanasia, abortion, in vitro fertilization, health care and distributive justice, truth-telling and informed consent, determination of death, and genetic engineering. Their approach reaches behind the headlines and beyond the controversy to enable the reader to make his or her own informed decisions. -from back cover.