2.5 stars

I thought this would be full of truly challenging dilemmas that would make me think. As a longtime viewer of SVU and other procedurals, and a lifelong reader of nonfiction, I didn't find these 'dilemmas' to be very thought provoking at all. (I'm also a devout Christian and I believe the Bible clears up the gray areas in many of these situations.)

In addition, I thought that the author was going to present each situation without bias, but even though he doesn't come right out and say "This is what I think," the way he words each scenario makes it clear where he stands on many of the issues. (He believes that overpopulation is a real problem, and references Darwinian evolutionary theory as fact.)

There was one particular situation I feel he really failed to present without bias, which was a Christian doctor refusing reproductive services to an LGBTQ couple due to religious objections. The issue was framed as one of LGBTQ rights and religious rights in this scenario were more or less ignored.

Lastly, I just tired of his cutesy fake names for the people in his scenarios: Ms. Ratched, Dr. Death, Senator Cheapside, etc.

Certainly, if someone has not thought about these issues before, the scenarios will provoke discussion. But I just didn't love this read. ( )

more an after dinner or electricity is out let's talk hypotheticals read than a novel - got me thinking, not always in a good way, but thinking ( )

An enjoyable thought provoking book that would make for great discussions related to medical ethics with book clubs. I enjoyed the author's ability to present each case, his thoughts, & questions to consider in clear and concise manners that leave the reader contemplating medical ethics.

Who Says You’re Dead (2019) by Jacob M. Appel, MD. Wikipedia lists Mr. Jacob M. Appel as (1) an author, (2) poet, (3) bioethicist, (4) physician, (5) lawyer and finally (6) social critic. To say he is a Renaissance man is perhaps to not give him enough credit. That he is a prolific writer of both books and plays, with some poetry thrown in, goes without doubt. But it is with this book that he shines a light on his medical and law degrees, as well as his work as a bioethicist.
I received this book through the LibraryThing program in August of 2019. I read some of the items, was amazed, but other things in life came up and I not only set it aside, but I lost it in the shuffle of my life. If you saw my book shelves, in all the different rooms and floors of my house, you might understand.
Anyway, today, May 17th (our 40th wedding anniversary) I pulled it out and finished it. I don’t know why I set it aside to begin with as I really liked it. But there was something very… disturbing?… unnerving?,,, eerie perhaps? The first page I opened it to was Chapter 60, entitled “When Doctors Choose Who Lives.” It begins, and I quote, “A state is developing a contingency plan for how to allocate ventilators… in case of a severe flu pandemic…”
Wow, talk about foresight. Of course I raced through reading the arguments and, as with most of the medical dilemma questions posed, I was not happy with the result. But I had to agree with it due to common sense factors. Not that many people are demonstrating a high degree of that crucial sense today.
There are 79 medical ethics posers presented herein ranging from False Paternity, Informed Consent and Privacy issues, though body alterations, both voluntary and not, becoming parents in new and creative ways and ending with, naturally, End Of Life issues. Throughout this tour of the gamut of ethics questions medical personnel face, Dr. Appel applies a sane and moralistic review suppling a sound basis for making decisions, decisions sure to make someone very unhappy. But he gives no straight out answers to the questions, and I would not expect him to do so.
In short, this is an insightful look into the ever changing world of medicine and the impact that modern technology has on our life choices. This book I highly recommend to medical and non-professional persons alike. ( )

I thought this would be an interesting book filled with new and intriguing medical dilemmas and their solutions. While some of the situations were new, most you've probably seen before on an episode of one of the many Law and Order franchises. The cases were presented (with often hilarious names), then a brief history of the ethical dilemma (e.g., prisoner's rights), then we are told it is basically up to the doctor to decide (everytime). ( )