A Single Degree of Freedom

When an aging, agnostic physician
encounters a young woman in the emergency room who is dying
of respiratory failure; their relationship leads to an
intense examination of faith and ethics in modern medicine.
The friendship that develops between patient and physician
is based on their shared Catholic background. Ethical
conflicts develop as her disease becomes terminal and she
requests a painless death. The ethical, legal, and emotional
consequences for the physician are explored in the final
chapters. A Single Degree of Freedom is a fictional account
of what happened after the death of Sarah who spent over two
and a half months in the hospital. Her physician stands
accused of not only assisting her death but also of having
an inappropriate relationship with her. The story from the
Boston papers ran this lurid headline: "Mercy Killing-
Doctor's Assisted Suicide of His Lover." As he sits before
the Medical Board fighting for his reputation and his
practice of over thirty-five years, he must also face his
medical student daughter who questions what really happened
and why! A Single Degree of Freedom is written in the form
of a letter to his daughter allowing him to explain his
relationship with Sarah and what ultimately caused her death.