Response to “From Pittsburgh to Cleveland: NHBD Controversies
and Bioethics” by George J. Agich (CQ
Vol
8,
No
3)
(Say It Ain't So: 60
Minutes on NHBD)
George J. Agich
Abstract
Frank Koughan and Walt Bogdanich's response
to my article, “From Pittsburgh to Cleveland: NHBD
Controversies and Bioethics,” reminds me of the Shakespearean
line, “The lady protests too much, methinks.”
My article was not about the specifics of the 60
Minutes
April 13, 1997, story on NHBD at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation
(CCF), even though the story formed the basis for the reflection.
I did not attack the critics, though I do believe that
bioethicists are accountable for their scholarly and public
pronouncements. Although I do not see why the 60
Minutes'
story should be treated with deference, my article was
designed to raise questions for a primarily bioethics audience
about the involvement of bioethicists in media coverage
of bioethics topics. I am flattered that they took notice
of my piece, but think their efforts to set the record
straight only obfuscate matters further.
