This readable and balanced book is an original discussion of contemporary issues in bioethics. Max Charlesworth argues that as there can be no public consensus on a set of core values—liberal societies accept a variety of religious, nonreligious, political and moral stances, there should be a plurality of ethical stances as well. On this basis he discusses issues such as the ending of human life, new reproductive technologies and the ethical distribution of limited healthcare resources, particularly hospital care.