Category / Case Studies / Religion and Morality
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Case Study: Overruling a Patient’s Religious Refusal of Blood Transfusions
Mrs. Genericson refused blood transfusions as a Jehovah’s Witness, then lost consciousness. Her family says her faith was wavering. Whose decision stands? The Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![Person holding their had up with the word "no" inked on their palm.]()
Case Study: Refusing Life-Saving Surgery, Overruling a Parent’s Prior Wishes
Bioethics case study on autonomy, consent and capacity — when a patient with capacity refuses life-saving surgery, can a surrogate later overrule his prior wishes? Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![A graphic stating the Ethics Dispatch is like an ethics committee meeting in a box. With four topic sections: monthly hot topic, new clinical ethics case study, current bioethics news stories and ethical musing essay.]()
When Children Become Pawns: The Human Cost of the Florida Vaccine Dispute
Florida’s threat to Catholic school scholarships over vaccine exemptions raises a bioethics question: who bears the consequences? Children and families. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
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Ask a Bioethicist: One case. Three bioethicists analyze.
Ask a Bioethicist: One case, three bioethicists analyze. The clinical ethics case: a Jehovah’s Witness patient’s blood transfusion refusal versus her family’s consent. Read how autonomy and beneficence collide. The July 2026 Ethics Dispatch is the first quarterly special edition called Ask a Bioethicist. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![A graphic stating the Ethics Dispatch is like an ethics committee meeting in a box. With four topic sections: monthly hot topic, new clinical ethics case study, current bioethics news stories and ethical musing essay.]()
The Most Important Ethical Challenge of Our Time: Remaining in Conversation
The June 2026 Ethics Dispatch explores patient autonomy, transgender health policy, medical decision-making, and the ethical role of empathy in clinical practice — with a real-world ethics case study. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
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Case Study: Healthcare Insurance Barriers
Healthcare insurance barriers cause strife for the patient, clinicians, and hospital when Ms. Grayson, a 44-year-old woman, is diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and has no health insurance. Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![A graphic stating the Ethics Dispatch is like an ethics committee meeting in a box. With four topic sections: monthly hot topic, new clinical ethics case study, current bioethics news stories and ethical musing essay.]()
Policy Volatility, Abortion Access, and the Erosion of Trust in Healthcare
A federal appeals court recently restricted access to the most commonly used medication abortion drug – Mifepristone — via mail before the Supreme Court temporarily restored broader access while it considers the case, leaving the ultimate outcome uncertain and leaving the public unsure and anxious. We explores the many ways instability in access to the drug creates avoidable harms and, ultimately, erodes public trust in healthcare. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
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Case Study: Pregnancy Termination
This pregnancy termination clinical ethics case study regards a 32-year-old patient presenting with a likely nonviable pregnancy at 10 weeks gestation raises critical questions about patient autonomy, informed consent, and physician paternalism when her OB/GYN refuses to prescribe termination medication pending a follow-up scan. Center for Practical Bioethics.
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Case Study: Medicaid Work Requirements
Medical work requirements prevent the patient with early-stage breast cancer to qualify for Medicaid while caring for her father. Center for Practical Bioethics.
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![A graphic stating the Ethics Dispatch is like an ethics committee meeting in a box. With four topic sections: monthly hot topic, new clinical ethics case study, current bioethics news stories and ethical musing essay.]()
Medicaid Work Requirements Are Ethically Incoherent
Justice strengthens leadership, and conversely, when leadership lacks justice, moral distress proliferates. Leaders who model fairness signal that ethical concerns are legitimate operational considerations. They’re a practical necessity – not distractions from efficiency. In Ethical Musings, we compare the ad hominem ethical fallacy to other ethical systems’ approach to judging moral character and leadership. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
