Author / Monica Delles
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![Hands piled on top of each other to represent building relationships.]()
It’s All About Building Relationships
Whether you read our Bioethics Bulletin for personal or professional reasons, Editor Trudi Galblum explains the Center’s goal: To be your trusted bioethics source for valuable hot topic analysis, case studies and workshops.
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Clinical Ethics Consultation at a Large Health System
Krystal Pence, LMSW, is seeing the growing impact of the Ethics Committee on patient care and institutional policies at Advent Health Kansas City. Krystal describes what dealing with complex cases was like “before and after” her hospital’s Ethics Committee began working the Center.
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Ethics Dispatch July 2025
The July Ethics Dispatch is on Why Rural Healthcare Fails Without Medicaid: An Ethical Analysis. With Medicaid cuts looming, we discuss the principles of bioethics to the cuts’ impact on rural healthcare. And we explore the philosophical concept of “ought implies can,” which holds that for someone to have a moral obligation, that person must have the ability to accomplish said obligation. Which begs the question: When do we have a moral obligation to provide Medicaid coverage?
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![Distributive Justice demonstrated with two plastic fish in glasses of water. One fish has plenty of water, the other does not.]()
Case Study – Distributive Justice: A Challenge for Clinical Ethics
Bioethics case study on distributive justice in VIDEO and PRINT. This case study in clinical ethics challenges several concepts within the idea of justice. Should this patient receive an equal share? Or receive according to his need? How do we ensure we treat this patient fairly?
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Hiring Parttime Clinical Bioethicist Consultant
The Center for Practical Bioethics is seeking the parttime services of a Consultant Clinical Bioethicist. This position will serve as part of a team of professional bioethicists who respond to cases and other activities relevant to healthcare ethics mechanisms.
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2025 AI and IPAs
You’re invited by the Center for Practical Bioethics to AI and IPAs: A Young Professionals Networking and Learning Event on Thursday, August 28 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm at DoubleTap KC int River Market.
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Case Study: When is it ethical to override a patient’s medical wishes?
Bioethics case study on Mr. Schumann, who signed an advance directive seven years ago indicating that he would not want life-sustaining treatment if he were unconscious with no hope of recovery. The family acknowledges the directive but insists that, if he could speak today, he would want everything done – for their sake.
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Case Study: Autonomy and Moral Distress Father Trent Chooses to Reject a Kidney
Bioethics case study on Fr. Trent’s request presenting a complex ethical dilemma involving organ allocation policy, personal autonomy, and the role of altruism in life-saving medical decisions.
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![The McKenzie River in Oregon.]()
Case Study: Obligation to Report Self-Harm
Bioethics case study on Ms. Taylor disclosing her intention to pursue physician-assisted death (PAD), also known as medical aid in dying (MAID). Although she currently resides in a state where MAID is illegal, she retains legal residency in Portland, Oregon – where the practice is permitted – and has already obtained the necessary medication.
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Case Study – Immigrant Caregiver Mother Fears Visit to Hospital
Bioethics case study in which Eve’s mother, Gloria, is her primary caregiver and sole means of transportation to medical appointments. An immigrant from a foreign country, Gloria has been hesitant to accompany her daughter to the hospital. Fearing potential issues with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Gloria is afraid to visit the hospital, which in turn prevents her from driving Eve to her chemotherapy appointments.
