Dan Brock PhD - Euthanasia

Name:	Dan Brock, PhD
Title:	Director of the University Program in Ethics and Health at the Harvard Medical School
Position:	Pro to the question "Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal?"
Reasoning:	"My aim is to increase the light, and perhaps as well as to reduce the heat, on this important subject [euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide] by formulating and evaluating the central ethical arguments for and against voluntary active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. My evaluation of the arguments leads me, with reservations to be noted, to support permitting both practices." Life and Death: Philosophical Essays in Biomedical Ethics, 1993
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:	Experts MDs, JDs (Lawyers), PhDs and Religious Leaders with significant involvement in end-of-life issues. [Because end-of-life dilemmas require medical, ethical, legal, and in some case religious considerations, we view MDs, PhDs with a bio-ethical focus, and JDs/religious leaders with significant involvement as "experts" in the euthanasia debate.] [Note: Experts definition varies by site.]
Involvement and Affiliations:	Director, University Program in Ethics and Health, Harvard Medical School, 2004-present Frances Glessner Lee Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 2002-present Director, Division of Medical Ethics, Harvard Medical School, 2002-present Fellow and Former Board Member, Hastings Center, 1998-present Former Senior Scientist and Member, Department of Clinical Bioethics, National Institutes of Health Recipient, Eleventh James Wilbur Award for "extraordinary contributions to the appreciation and advancement of human values," Society for Value Inquiry, 2002 Charles C. Tillinghast, Jr. University Professor, Brown University, 1997-2002 Director, Center for Biomedical Ethics, Brown University, 1991-2002 President, American Association for Bioethics, 1995-1996 Recipient, John P. McGovern Award for "distinguished contributions to the health sciences," Association of Academic Health Centers, 1995 Executive Board Member, American Association of Bioethics, 1993-1997 Member, Ethics Working Group, White House Task Force on National Health Care Reform, 1993 President, Rhode Island Philosophical Society, 1991-1992 Founding Board Member, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Chair, Department of Philosophy, Brown University, 1980-1986 Staff Philosopher, President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine, 1981-1982
Education:	PhD, Philosophy, Columbia University, 1970 BA, Economics, Cornell University, 1960
Contact Info:	Phone: 617-432-5131 Fax: 617-432-3721 E-Mail: dan_brock@hms.harvard.edu Website: University profile
Select Publications:	"Ethical Issues in the Use of Cost Effectiveness Analysis for the Prioritization of Health Care Resources," Bioethics: A Philosophical Overview, Ed. Geeorge Khusfh, 2004 "Health Resource Allocation for Vulnerable Populations," Ethical Dimensions of Health Policy, Eds. Marion Danis, Carolyn Clancy, and Larry R. Churchill, 2002 "A Critique of Three Objections to Physician-Assisted Suicide," Ethics, Apr. 1999 "Physician-Assisted Suicide Is Sometimes Morally Justified," Physician-Assisted Suicide: Ethical Positions, Medical Practices, and Public Policy Options, Ed. Robert Weir, 1997 Life and Death: Philosophical Essays in Biomedical Ethics, 1993 "Voluntary Active Euthanasia," Hastings Center Report, Mar.-Apr. 1992 Cowritten with Allen E. Buchanan, Deciding for Others: The Ethics of Surrogate Decisionmaking, 1989 "Moral Rights and Permissible Killing," Ethical Issues Relating to Life and Death, Ed. John Ladd, 1979
Other:	None found
Also Quoted in:	1. Do euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide ensure a good death? 2. Should the doctrine of double effect be used to guide end-of-life decision-making? 3. Is there a moral difference between active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide? 4. Is there a moral difference between passive and active euthanasia?