Medicine on Trial: A Handbook with Cases, Laws, and Documents

A provocative presentation of medicolegal controversies within the American court system from the late 19th through the late 20th century.

Medicine on Trial: A Handbook with Cases, Laws, and Documents chronicles the changing role of medicine in the American courtroom during the last 150 years. Integrating legal, historical, and medical perspectives, this comprehensive compilation tackles such public controversies as the "right to die" in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, Dr. Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide laws, reproductive rights cases such as "Baby M," and issues surrounding mental illness.

The book gives special attention to medical personnel as expert witnesses in the courtroom, a challenge which calls into question deeply rooted notions of professionalism and ethics. A series of criminal and bioethics cases highlights the wide range of debates, while a lively discussion presents issues that may become even more controversial in the future, such as DNA testing and artificial reproductive technology.