John F. Kilner is an educator, speaker, and author of numerous books and digital resources, primarily addressing ethical issues in health care and the biosciences.
... Page 5. THE CENTER FOR BI® ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY THE REPRODUCTION REVOLUTION A Christian A... more ... Page 5. THE CENTER FOR BI® ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY THE REPRODUCTION REVOLUTION A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality, Reproductive Technologies, and the Family Edited by JOHN F. KILNER, PAIGE C. CUNNINGHAM, and W. DAVID HAGER WILLIAM B ...
... A Horizon in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BlfcETHICS AND HUMAN ... RN, JD, Priva... more ... A Horizon in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BlfcETHICS AND HUMAN ... RN, JD, Private Practice Health Care Attorney in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, USA ... ie, a trusting relationship wherein the professional who has more knowledge, skill, and ...
Decisions which determine the duration and outcome of terminal care should be influenced by patie... more Decisions which determine the duration and outcome of terminal care should be influenced by patient autonomy. Studies suggest, however, that end-of-life decision-making is more complex than a single principle and that physicians may be responsible for selected aspects of terminal care independent of patient choice. To study how nephrologists' perceptions toward end-of-life issues may affect decision-making, we anonymously surveyed 125 of them. The study employed the straightforward terminology of "hastening death" rather than adopting the ambiguous term "euthanasia" or the narrow term "assisted suicide." Subjective physician profiles demonstrated that nephrologists who are less comfortable with dying patients were significantly less likely to report that they omitted life-prolonging measures (p = 0.02) and more likely to report that they would not initiate measures in order to hasten death even were it legal (p = 0.04). Ninety-eight percent of nephrologists reported omissions in terminal care with patient knowledge and 80% without patient knowledge. In contrast, forty-three percent of the nephrologists said that were it to become legal to initiate measures in order to hasten death, they would "never" do so. The ethical framework utilized for discontinuation of dialysis decisions incorporated medical benefit (cancer as criterion, 48%; multisystem complications, 84%; dementia 79%) and quality of life criteria. Twenty-five percent of nephrologists admitted difficulty with advance directives if the directives clashed with heir beliefs. ESRD end-of-life decision-making in the USA may be altered by the subjective characteristics of nephrologists. In particular, nephrologists' level of discomfort with patient mortality is linked with their reported management of terminal patients.
1. Nigel M. De S. Cameron, ?The Christian Stake in Bioethics: The State of the Question? 2. H. Jo... more 1. Nigel M. De S. Cameron, ?The Christian Stake in Bioethics: The State of the Question? 2. H. Jochemsen, S. Strijbos, and J. Hoogland, ?The Medical Profession in Modern Society: The Importance of Defining Limits? 3. Loreen A. Herwaldt, ?Daniel Versus Saul: Toward a Distinctly Christian Biomedical Ethics? 4. John F. Peppin, ?Physician Values and Value Neutrality? 5. David B. Larson and Mary A. Greenwold, ?Ethical Problems in the Clinical Study of Religion and Health? 6. David L. Schiedermeyer, ?The Profession at the Fault Line: The Ethics of Physician Income?
Twenty leading experts in the bioethics debate here engage matters of dignity and dying from a Ch... more Twenty leading experts in the bioethics debate here engage matters of dignity and dying from a Christian perspective. The book begins with essays by David Schiedermayer, Arlene Miller, and Gregory Waybright that root the book in the experience of dying itself. This is followed by contributions from Nigel Cameron, John Dunlop, Marsha Fowler, and Allen Verhey on the topics that provide the guiding vision for approaches to dignity and dying: autonomy, death, suffering, and faithfulness. Four of the most pressing end-of-life challenges-forgoing treatment, medical futility, definition of death, and assisted suicide/euthanasia-are then examined by John Kilner, Christopher Hook, Holly Vautier, and Edmund Pellegrino. The next section, with contributions from Ben Mitchell, Jerome Wernow, Arthur Dyck, and Henk Jochemsen, is devoted to investigations of key settings where people have wrestled with these challenges: Nazi Germany; Oregon; North American legal systems; and the Netherlands. Finall...
If the nineteenth century was the age of the machine and the twentieth century the infor mation a... more If the nineteenth century was the age of the machine and the twentieth century the infor mation age, this century is, by most accounts, the age of biotechnology. In this biotech cen tury we may witness the invention of cures for genetically linked diseases, including Alzheimer's, cancer, and a host of maladies that cause tremendous human suffering. We may see amazing developments in food pro duction with genetically modified foods that actually carry therapeutic drugs inside them. Bioterrorism and high-tech weaponry may also be in our future. Some researchers are even suggesting that our future might include the remaking of the human species. The next stage of human evolution, they argue, will be the post-human stage.
This phenomenon has resulted in the emergence of a new class of patient: the presymptomatic ill .... more This phenomenon has resulted in the emergence of a new class of patient: the presymptomatic ill . These are persons who have been diagnosed with a genetic disease for which there is no treatment. In many cases they may not show symptoms of the disease for a number of years, sometimes never. Yet they carry the knowledge that they have a genetic condition that may one day lead to their disability or death.
On May 5, 2004, a front-page story in newspapers around the U.S. reported the production of babie... more On May 5, 2004, a front-page story in newspapers around the U.S. reported the production of babies to provide bone marrow or umbilical cord blood for their sick siblings. The reproduction process involved producing many embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF), testing them for how well they genetically matched their siblings, throwing away the majority who did not match well, and only implanting some of those who remained. The testing technique used in such procedures is called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.
... 73 30. Is xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs into humans—okay? 75 Stem Cell Rese... more ... 73 30. Is xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs into humans—okay? 75 Stem Cell Research and Cloning 31. ... Will it allow us to solve the organ shortage crisis by transplanting animal organs into humans (a process known as xenotransplantation)! ...
Page 1. 178 s The Annals of Pharmacotherapy s 2004 January, Volume 38 NEW PUBLICATIONS www.theann... more Page 1. 178 s The Annals of Pharmacotherapy s 2004 January, Volume 38 NEW PUBLICATIONS www.theannals.com BOOK REVIEWS Handbook of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Edited by Jay P Rho PharmD and Stan G Louie PharmD PhD. ...
At the deepest level, cloning should be prohibited because it turns procreation into a species of... more At the deepest level, cloning should be prohibited because it turns procreation into a species of manufacture. It treats a child-to-be as an object of production. In the words of Dr. Leon Kass, Chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, cloning “threatens the dignity of human procreation, giving one generation unprecedented genetic control over the next. It is the first step toward a eugenic world in which children become objects of manipulation and products of will.”
After telling a story of a family's inquiry into physician-assisted suicide on behalf of a lo... more After telling a story of a family's inquiry into physician-assisted suicide on behalf of a loved one, John F. Kilner uses the story to discuss some specific ways in which modern medicine often fails to supply life-affirming alternatives in situations like the one this family faced. Knowing about these alternatives is important for Christians, since God is the author of freedom, justice, and life itself. Moreover, when medicine has nothing more to offer suffering patients, it should be prepared to assist them in their suffering, rather than simply eliminate the sufferer. The example of Jesus' suffering is important here.
... Page 4. A Horizons in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BI®ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY T... more ... Page 4. A Horizons in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BI®ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY The Horizons in Bioethics Series brings together an array of insightful writers to address important bioethical issues from a forward-looking Christian per-spective. ...
Page 1. dignity and dyi ana aym a christian appraisal zdited b y John r. kimer arlene n. miller e... more Page 1. dignity and dyi ana aym a christian appraisal zdited b y John r. kimer arlene n. miller eamund a. pellegrino Page 2. Page 3. DIGNITY AND DYING A Christian Appraisal Thls One QYG9-3YD-Y H9 Page 4. A Horizons in ...
Abstract. In light of the growing prominence of an age criterion in patient se-lection, it is ess... more Abstract. In light of the growing prominence of an age criterion in patient se-lection, it is essential to scrutinize the ethical legitimacy of arguments being offered both for and against using age as a criterion. Accordingly, the present study first explores the primary justifications for an age criterion, then examines the criterion’s weaknesses. Weaknesses are grouped into two areas: deficiencies in the justifications of the criterion, and overarching critiques. Finally, a way forward in the midst of the present controversy is suggested. The study’s conclusion is that an age criterion per se is unjustified, though age may play a carefully defined role in medical as-sessments relevant to patient selection. Resource constraints have prompted a search for ways to restrict access to ex-pensive (or otherwise limited) lifesaving medical resources. Increasingly, an age criterion by which older patients would be denied access to certain resources is
All people are created in the image of God, which gives every human being a dignity that can neve... more All people are created in the image of God, which gives every human being a dignity that can never be lost or diminished. This article develops a biblically sound understanding of what it means to be in God’s image. Next, it explores how important such an understanding is for people with disabilities. Finally, it traces out a number of implications of that understanding for people with profound intellectual disability.
... Page 5. THE CENTER FOR BI® ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY THE REPRODUCTION REVOLUTION A Christian A... more ... Page 5. THE CENTER FOR BI® ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY THE REPRODUCTION REVOLUTION A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality, Reproductive Technologies, and the Family Edited by JOHN F. KILNER, PAIGE C. CUNNINGHAM, and W. DAVID HAGER WILLIAM B ...
... A Horizon in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BlfcETHICS AND HUMAN ... RN, JD, Priva... more ... A Horizon in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BlfcETHICS AND HUMAN ... RN, JD, Private Practice Health Care Attorney in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, USA ... ie, a trusting relationship wherein the professional who has more knowledge, skill, and ...
Decisions which determine the duration and outcome of terminal care should be influenced by patie... more Decisions which determine the duration and outcome of terminal care should be influenced by patient autonomy. Studies suggest, however, that end-of-life decision-making is more complex than a single principle and that physicians may be responsible for selected aspects of terminal care independent of patient choice. To study how nephrologists' perceptions toward end-of-life issues may affect decision-making, we anonymously surveyed 125 of them. The study employed the straightforward terminology of "hastening death" rather than adopting the ambiguous term "euthanasia" or the narrow term "assisted suicide." Subjective physician profiles demonstrated that nephrologists who are less comfortable with dying patients were significantly less likely to report that they omitted life-prolonging measures (p = 0.02) and more likely to report that they would not initiate measures in order to hasten death even were it legal (p = 0.04). Ninety-eight percent of nephrologists reported omissions in terminal care with patient knowledge and 80% without patient knowledge. In contrast, forty-three percent of the nephrologists said that were it to become legal to initiate measures in order to hasten death, they would "never" do so. The ethical framework utilized for discontinuation of dialysis decisions incorporated medical benefit (cancer as criterion, 48%; multisystem complications, 84%; dementia 79%) and quality of life criteria. Twenty-five percent of nephrologists admitted difficulty with advance directives if the directives clashed with heir beliefs. ESRD end-of-life decision-making in the USA may be altered by the subjective characteristics of nephrologists. In particular, nephrologists' level of discomfort with patient mortality is linked with their reported management of terminal patients.
1. Nigel M. De S. Cameron, ?The Christian Stake in Bioethics: The State of the Question? 2. H. Jo... more 1. Nigel M. De S. Cameron, ?The Christian Stake in Bioethics: The State of the Question? 2. H. Jochemsen, S. Strijbos, and J. Hoogland, ?The Medical Profession in Modern Society: The Importance of Defining Limits? 3. Loreen A. Herwaldt, ?Daniel Versus Saul: Toward a Distinctly Christian Biomedical Ethics? 4. John F. Peppin, ?Physician Values and Value Neutrality? 5. David B. Larson and Mary A. Greenwold, ?Ethical Problems in the Clinical Study of Religion and Health? 6. David L. Schiedermeyer, ?The Profession at the Fault Line: The Ethics of Physician Income?
Twenty leading experts in the bioethics debate here engage matters of dignity and dying from a Ch... more Twenty leading experts in the bioethics debate here engage matters of dignity and dying from a Christian perspective. The book begins with essays by David Schiedermayer, Arlene Miller, and Gregory Waybright that root the book in the experience of dying itself. This is followed by contributions from Nigel Cameron, John Dunlop, Marsha Fowler, and Allen Verhey on the topics that provide the guiding vision for approaches to dignity and dying: autonomy, death, suffering, and faithfulness. Four of the most pressing end-of-life challenges-forgoing treatment, medical futility, definition of death, and assisted suicide/euthanasia-are then examined by John Kilner, Christopher Hook, Holly Vautier, and Edmund Pellegrino. The next section, with contributions from Ben Mitchell, Jerome Wernow, Arthur Dyck, and Henk Jochemsen, is devoted to investigations of key settings where people have wrestled with these challenges: Nazi Germany; Oregon; North American legal systems; and the Netherlands. Finall...
If the nineteenth century was the age of the machine and the twentieth century the infor mation a... more If the nineteenth century was the age of the machine and the twentieth century the infor mation age, this century is, by most accounts, the age of biotechnology. In this biotech cen tury we may witness the invention of cures for genetically linked diseases, including Alzheimer's, cancer, and a host of maladies that cause tremendous human suffering. We may see amazing developments in food pro duction with genetically modified foods that actually carry therapeutic drugs inside them. Bioterrorism and high-tech weaponry may also be in our future. Some researchers are even suggesting that our future might include the remaking of the human species. The next stage of human evolution, they argue, will be the post-human stage.
This phenomenon has resulted in the emergence of a new class of patient: the presymptomatic ill .... more This phenomenon has resulted in the emergence of a new class of patient: the presymptomatic ill . These are persons who have been diagnosed with a genetic disease for which there is no treatment. In many cases they may not show symptoms of the disease for a number of years, sometimes never. Yet they carry the knowledge that they have a genetic condition that may one day lead to their disability or death.
On May 5, 2004, a front-page story in newspapers around the U.S. reported the production of babie... more On May 5, 2004, a front-page story in newspapers around the U.S. reported the production of babies to provide bone marrow or umbilical cord blood for their sick siblings. The reproduction process involved producing many embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF), testing them for how well they genetically matched their siblings, throwing away the majority who did not match well, and only implanting some of those who remained. The testing technique used in such procedures is called preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.
... 73 30. Is xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs into humans—okay? 75 Stem Cell Rese... more ... 73 30. Is xenotransplantation—transplanting animal organs into humans—okay? 75 Stem Cell Research and Cloning 31. ... Will it allow us to solve the organ shortage crisis by transplanting animal organs into humans (a process known as xenotransplantation)! ...
Page 1. 178 s The Annals of Pharmacotherapy s 2004 January, Volume 38 NEW PUBLICATIONS www.theann... more Page 1. 178 s The Annals of Pharmacotherapy s 2004 January, Volume 38 NEW PUBLICATIONS www.theannals.com BOOK REVIEWS Handbook of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Edited by Jay P Rho PharmD and Stan G Louie PharmD PhD. ...
At the deepest level, cloning should be prohibited because it turns procreation into a species of... more At the deepest level, cloning should be prohibited because it turns procreation into a species of manufacture. It treats a child-to-be as an object of production. In the words of Dr. Leon Kass, Chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, cloning “threatens the dignity of human procreation, giving one generation unprecedented genetic control over the next. It is the first step toward a eugenic world in which children become objects of manipulation and products of will.”
After telling a story of a family's inquiry into physician-assisted suicide on behalf of a lo... more After telling a story of a family's inquiry into physician-assisted suicide on behalf of a loved one, John F. Kilner uses the story to discuss some specific ways in which modern medicine often fails to supply life-affirming alternatives in situations like the one this family faced. Knowing about these alternatives is important for Christians, since God is the author of freedom, justice, and life itself. Moreover, when medicine has nothing more to offer suffering patients, it should be prepared to assist them in their suffering, rather than simply eliminate the sufferer. The example of Jesus' suffering is important here.
... Page 4. A Horizons in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BI®ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY T... more ... Page 4. A Horizons in Bioethics Series Book from THE CENTER FOR BI®ETHICS AND HUMAN DIGNITY The Horizons in Bioethics Series brings together an array of insightful writers to address important bioethical issues from a forward-looking Christian per-spective. ...
Page 1. dignity and dyi ana aym a christian appraisal zdited b y John r. kimer arlene n. miller e... more Page 1. dignity and dyi ana aym a christian appraisal zdited b y John r. kimer arlene n. miller eamund a. pellegrino Page 2. Page 3. DIGNITY AND DYING A Christian Appraisal Thls One QYG9-3YD-Y H9 Page 4. A Horizons in ...
Abstract. In light of the growing prominence of an age criterion in patient se-lection, it is ess... more Abstract. In light of the growing prominence of an age criterion in patient se-lection, it is essential to scrutinize the ethical legitimacy of arguments being offered both for and against using age as a criterion. Accordingly, the present study first explores the primary justifications for an age criterion, then examines the criterion’s weaknesses. Weaknesses are grouped into two areas: deficiencies in the justifications of the criterion, and overarching critiques. Finally, a way forward in the midst of the present controversy is suggested. The study’s conclusion is that an age criterion per se is unjustified, though age may play a carefully defined role in medical as-sessments relevant to patient selection. Resource constraints have prompted a search for ways to restrict access to ex-pensive (or otherwise limited) lifesaving medical resources. Increasingly, an age criterion by which older patients would be denied access to certain resources is
All people are created in the image of God, which gives every human being a dignity that can neve... more All people are created in the image of God, which gives every human being a dignity that can never be lost or diminished. This article develops a biblically sound understanding of what it means to be in God’s image. Next, it explores how important such an understanding is for people with disabilities. Finally, it traces out a number of implications of that understanding for people with profound intellectual disability.
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