Doctors on the Edge

To do what they believe is best for their patients, should doctors ever lie, betray a confidence, or bend the law? This book exposes some of the hardest decisions to be made in a profession in which bodies are vulnerable and souls are laid bare. Doctors on the Edge is the true account of doctors who are faced with wrenching moral dilemmas, thrust upon them uninvited and unexpected. Sometimes complementary and sometimes conflictinglaw, medicine, and morality intrude on the daily practice of medicine. In gripping stories that often include life-and-death decisions, doctors maneuver through ambiguities, subjectivity, and the essential principles of medical ethics. Fredrick R. Abrams is a Denver physician who specialized in obstetrics and gynecology for over forty years and served as chair of the Ethics Committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He is the recipient of the 2006 Isaac Hays, MD and John Bell, MD Award for Leadership in Medical Ethics and Professionalism. Presented by the American Medical Association, the award recognizes an AMA member for outstanding dedication to the principles of medical ethics and the highest standards of medical practice.