by Robert B. Mellert

About the author: Robert B. Mellert is a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey, and the author of Seven Ethical Theories.

Deciding when to live and when to die is an issue that has only recently begun to confront the human species. It is a difficult decision, and we are not yet skilled in making it. Today, doctors and patients are increasingly being forced to make these life and death—and quality of life and death—decisions amid rapid technological change, startling new medical discoveries, an aggressively litigious society, and sharply disagreeing medical ethicists.

Discussion on medical ethics now involves two competing theories about the nature of health care. One is the “curing” approach, based upon traditional medical ethical principles...