We will all die, but few of us discuss it with those who are important to us. Many will also be confronted by disability, illness, grief and loss. How we respond to suffering says much about empathy, love and who we are. There is no doubt many people have much to endure, but illness and disability are not all doom and gloom, just different, and calling on us, perhaps, to surrender to dependence on others, and place trust in God, and trust in our love for each other. In this volume the author reflects on being pleasantly surprised with doors that have been opened through illness, that he did not know existed. There was also the discovery of resilience and a deepening and strengthening of love. The book reflects on issues that arise in illness, such as the right to know and refusal of treatment, issues at the end of life, euthanasia, artificial feeding, pain management, representation and advanced directives. It also includes discussion of the care of those with mental illness, and finally the issue of health resource allocation. While considering the range of views on these issues, this book is also very frank about the author’s experiences of illness, pain and threats to life.
“A ‘must read’ for any health professional, ethics student or educated layman interested in exploring these questions...” – The Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP, Bishop of Parramatta
“…This is a publication for all seasons.” – Dr Joseph N. Santamaria, Former Director of Community Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy
Professor Nicholas Tonti-Filippini BA (Hons), MA (Monash), PhD (Melb), FHERDSA, KCSG is Associate Dean and Head of Bioethics at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne. Professor Tonti-Filippini is a philosopher who has specialised in bioethics for the past 30 years including having been Australia’s first hospital ethicist and Director of Bioethics at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, 1982-1990. He is well known internationally and has published widely in Bioethics. Nicholas Tonti-Filippini recently chaired an Australian Government public enquiry to produce guidelines for the care of people in an unresponsive state or minimally responsive state.
