Bioethics for the People

You asked for it, so here it is… the “Who is Dr. Stahl” episode. We do a deep dive into the path that brought Devan to where she is today.

How did she first get interested in Bioethics? Who were some of her most influential mentors? What is she currently working on?

In this episode Dr. Tim Lahey describes how he helped his institution curb violence against health care professionals.

Here’s an open access copy of Tim’s article describing his work on combating workplace violence:  

https://shmpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jhm.13355

In this episode, Dr. Becket Gremmels discusses a success story involving a pregnant teenager and her parents.

To learn more about Dr. Gremmels, check out his podcast Ethics Lab here: https://www.missiononline.net/ethics/ethics-lab/

In this episode, Stefano Mugnaini shares a success story about how he was able to work with wardens on behalf of incarcerated patients.

Devan and Tyler explore the Willowbrook State School, that stands as a stark symbol of the dark chapters in the history of medical ethics and public health. Willowbrook gained infamy for its association with highly controversial medical experiments conducted on children with intellectual disabilities during the mid-20th century. Led by Dr. Saul Krugman, the Willowbrook studies became emblematic of ethical questions about the treatment of vulnerable populations and the boundaries of medical research.

• “Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace” Investigative Report by Geraldo Rivera

• DuBois, J. M. (2008). A framework for analyzing ethics cases. Ethics in Mental Health Research, 45-57.

• Krugman, S. (1986). The Willowbrook Hepatitis Studies Revisited: Ethical Aspects, Reviews of Infectious Diseases, 8:1.

Dax Cowart was severely injured in an explosion in the 1970s. Despite his injuries, he expressed a strong and consistent desire not to want medical treatment for his injuries an to be allowed to die. In this episode, Tyler and Devan explore the landmark bioethics care of Dax Cowart and its importance to current questions about medical decision-making, capacity to refuse medical treatment, and disability.

Links to Sources and other Interesting Stuff:

“Dax Cowert, Who Suffered for Patient Rights, Dies at 71” The New York Times, Obituary, May 15, 2019.

Documentary: “Dax Cowart — 40 years later”

In this episode, Devan and Tyler discuss the separation surgery of conjoined twins, Mary and Jodie.

In this episode, Devan and Tyler discuss the case of Ashley X. Ashley’s parents and medical team proposed a treatment plan to attenuate Ashley’s growth that drew both praise and criticism from bioethicists.

Links to Sources:

Kristi Kirschner et al. (2009) “The Curious Case of Ashley X,” PM&R.

Ashley’s Parent’s Blog: http://www.pillowangel.org/

News reports:

• https://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/11/ashley.ethicist/index.html

• https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/opinion/26singer.html

• https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/mar/16/ashley-treatment-ericas-story

Tyler and Devan walk through the infamous US Supreme Court Case of Buck v Bell (1927) in this episode. Buck v Bell has a dark legacy that includes forced sterilization, eugenics, disability, and violence against women.

Further Reading:

• Wolfe, Brendan. Buck v. Bell (1927). (2021, February 12). In Encyclopedia Virginia.

• “The Forgotten Lessons of the American Eugenics Movement” The New Yorker, April 2016.

• Lombardo, Paul A. Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.

• Eugenics and Scientific Racism (2022) National Human Genomics Research Institute

• No Mas Bebes (2016) PBS Documentary

• Disability’s Challenge to Theology: Genes, Eugenics, and the Metaphysics of Modern Medicine, by Devan Stahl (University of Notre Dame Press)