A Handbook of Bioethics Terms

by James B. Tubbs Jr.

Overview

The term bioethics was first used in the early 1970s by biologists who were concerned about ethical implications of genetic and ecological interventions, but was soon applied to all aspects of biomedical ethics, including health care delivery, research, and public policy. Its literature draws from disciplines as varied as clinical medicine and nursing, scientific research, theology and philosophy, law, and the social sciences—each with its own distinctive vocabulary and expressions.

A Handbook of Bioethics Terms is a handy and concise glossary-style reference featuring over 400 entries on the significant terms, expressions, titles, and court cases that are most important to the field. Most entries are cross-referenced, making this handbook a valuable addition to the bookshelves of undergraduate and graduate students in health care ethics, physicians and nurses, members of institutional ethics committees and review boards, and others interested in bioethics.

A sampling of terms from the handbook: AbortionDNR (Do Not Resuscitate)Eugenics Gene therapy Living will Natural lawPrimum non nocere Single-payer systemSurrogate consent Schiavo case

Sample Definitions:

Formalism: In ethical theory, a type of deontology in which an action is judged to be right if it is in accord with a moral rule, and wrong if it violates a moral rule.

Xenograft: Organ or tissue transplanted from one individual to another individual of another species. (See Transplantation, organ and tissue)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589012592
Publisher:	Georgetown University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.54(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

James B. Tubbs Jr. is professor of ethics and religion and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Detroit Mercy.

What People are Saying About This

James F. Childress

A valuable addition to the bioethics literature. It offers a clear, comprehensive, and reliable guide to key terms in bioethics discourse. It will be a treasure for students and others pursuing bioethics.

From the Publisher

"A superb supplementary text for any course in bioethics. . . . a very useful, comprehensive, accurate, clear, and concise explanation of the vast majority of core concepts and terms that are likely to be introduced in a contemporary bioethics course."—Leonard M. Fleck, Michigan State University

"A valuable addition to the bioethics literature. It offers a clear, comprehensive, and reliable guide to key terms in bioethics discourse. It will be a treasure for students and others pursuing bioethics."—James F. Childress, Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics and director of the Institute for Practical Ethics and Public Life, University of Virginia

Leonard M. Fleck

A superb supplementary text for any course in bioethics. . . . a very useful, comprehensive, accurate, clear, and concise explanation of the vast majority of core concepts and terms that are likely to be introduced in a contemporary bioethics course.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Aaliyah Eaves-Leanos, JD (Saint Louis University)
Description: This practical glossary of terms, expressions, significant legal cases, and core concepts from bioethics literature and clinical ethics practice is a valuable supplement to bioethics courses and discourse.
Purpose: The practice and study of contemporary bioethics thrives within the context of a continuous interdisciplinary dialogue. Practitioners from a broad spectrum of fields have contributed to the growth and development of bioethics, including theologians, scientists, healthcare providers, legal scholars, philosophers, economists, and policymakers. One result of bioethics' multidisciplinary composition is a rich and robust treatment of the subject. Another less salutary result is the lack of a shared vocabulary. The author points out that most individual disciplines and professions have established their own unique vocabularies or attached particularized meaning to commonly used terms. The author's purpose is to lessen the "vocabulary gap" encountered by bioethics students, who often possess knowledge in one core discipline, yet lack sufficient familiarity with the other professions to efficiently communicate in this interdisciplinary field.
Audience: This book is well suited for bioethics students, ethics committee members, and anyone facing unfamiliar terminology in their exploration of bioethics literature and practice.
Features: Each section is clearly labeled and terms are easy to find, well defined, and concise. The handbook does not purport to be an encyclopedia or dictionary of bioethics. Rather, it is intended to be "brief and handy," therefore it is not suitable for anyone in search of a robust explanation of one or more ethical theories or clinical procedures that appear in bioethics literature. Certain terms that some readers may expect to find are notably absent, such as "principlism," and the definitions are influenced by the author's own subjective view and experience. However, this does not detract from the overall value that this book provides.
Assessment: This handbook makes an important contribution to the contemporary study of bioethics, providing a valuable and necessary reference tool. The author has produced an excellent resource for anyone in need of a succinct explanation of an unfamiliar bioethics term.

Doody's Review Service

A superb supplementary text for any course in bioethics. . . . a very useful, comprehensive, accurate, clear, and concise explanation of the vast majority of core concepts and terms that are likely to be introduced in a contemporary bioethics course.

Leonard M. Fleck

A valuable addition to the bioethics literature. It offers a clear, comprehensive, and reliable guide to key terms in bioethics discourse. It will be a treasure for students and others pursuing bioethics.

James F. Childress