People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans

Medical ethics is a growth industry, with doctors and nurses making difficult judgment calls every day that would hardly have been an issue a generation ago. There's the burn victim whose family and doctors disagree on whether treatment should be continued. There's the mentally retarded man with a possible lung tumor who may or may not be competent to make his own decisions about his treatment. As medical technology allows scientists to nudge the boundaries between life and death, this uncomfortable field becomes increasingly important. Chicago Reader