Here's what was sitting on my desk on my first day of work for Senator Jack Danforth last summer:

August 19

Liz-

Here is something you can start on when I am in Wyoming. Maybe you could begin pulling together some thoughts and material. Perhaps someone at YDS could give you some help. However, please don't attribute any conclusions to me as I have none.

What are the ethics of extending the length of life?

We cannot artificially end life (thou shalt not kill), but how about artificially extending life? Is that always good, sometimes good?

Is it good to extend the life of a senile 90 year old who wears diapers? How about “neonatal care”—for a baby who would otherwise die? What's the difference in these two cases, or should we have a difference?

In ethics, is keeping people alive the highest good? Should our priority be to keep people breathing?

Is it “playing God” to make distinctions on the basis of quality of life? Do we owe a lesser degree of care to the comatose patient than someone else?