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Hard Choices: Mixed Blessings of Modern Medical Technology
Hard Choices Mixed Blessings of Modern Medical Technology Author:B. D. Colen Although few families have suffered the anguish that the parents of Karen Ann Quinlan sustained for a decade, most of us will, at some time, have to make a painful choice regarding treatment of terminally ill relatives. — To write Hard Choices, Colen interviewed dozens of people, and he offers actual case histories of patients of every a... more »ge and condition. From genetic disorders such as the fatal juvenile disease called Tay-Sachs Syndrome to illnesses that ravage the elderly, the author lucidly explains the new technology that frequently has made treatments possible.
In addition to treatment of terminally ill, the subjects covered include:
Advances in neonatology -- genetic engineering, in vitro fertilization and fetal surgery.
The staggering cost of keeping infants alive in intensive care nurseries.
The ghastly tragedy of what society has termed "the babies Doe": government intervention in personal and medical decisions regarding treatment of infants born with gross malformations.
The enormous financial and ethical problems surrounding organ transplants.