Praying for a Cure

Peggy DesAutels is assistant professor of philosophy and associate director of the Ethics Center at the University of South Florida. Margaret P. Battin is professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of internal medicine at the University of Utah and the author of numerous books, including Ethics in the Sanctuary: Examining the Practicesof Organized Religion (Yale) and The Least Worst Death: Essays in Bioethics on the End of Life (Rowman & Littlefield). Larry May is professor of philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis and has authored numerous books, including The Socially Responsive Self (Chicago). He is also the co-editor of Rethinking Masculinity (Rowman & Littlefield).

• Part 1 AcknowledgmentsPart 2 IntroductionChapter 3 1 High-Risk Religion: Christian Science and the Violation of Informed ConsentMargaret P. BattinChapter 4 2 Rational Choice and Alternative Worldviews: A Defense of Christian SciencePeggy DesAutelsChapter 5 3 Put Up or Shut Up? Countering the Defense of Christian ScienceMargaret P. BattinChapter 6 4 Putting UpPeggy DesAutelsChapter 7 5 Challenging Medical AuthorityLarry MayChapter 8 6 Challenging Medical MetaphysicsPeggy DesAutelsChapter 9 7 Respecting Medical Science and Christian ScienceLarry MayChapter 10 8 Protecting Christian Science from Medical SciencePeggy DesAutelsPart 11 Conclusion: Agreeing to Disagree?Margaret P. BattinPart 12 IndexPart 13 About the Authors

The right to turn one's chosen source is now well established in both law and ethics, but where children are unable to choose for themselves the situation is fraught with moral difficulties. This book highlights some of these difficulties and gives an insight into the doctrines and beliefs of Christian Scientists. There are no easy answers, although the insights offered by this book help to inform the debate.