UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS, DAN ADDISON
John Arras, a professor of philosophy and bioethics, died this month (March 9) of a stroke in Galveston, Texas. He was 69.
“He insisted on taking on the hard stuff . . . and the neglected corners of medicine rather than confining himself to the well trodden dilemmas of end of life intensive care,” bioethicist Steven Miles, a former student of Arras, wrote in a tribute.
Arras served as a member of the Presidential Commission for Study of Biomedical Issues and a founding member of the ethics advisory board of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He focused his research on difficult questions, such as physician-assisted suicide, where he encouraged both sides of the debate to listen to the desires of patients. His ...
