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Bioethics #3
False Positive
After a woman is rushed to the ER in shock from massive blood loss, second-year medical resident Julien “Red” Richison becomes suspicious about the procedures being practiced at the nearby “VIP” abortion clinic.
Soon, with the help of Bethany Fabrazio, director of a pro-life women’s clinic, Red finds himself investigating what goes on behind closed doors at VIP. But what Bethany and Red don’t know is that some VIP doctors will stop at nothing to keep their secrets under wraps–even if it means taking Red’s life.
Addressing with sensitivity and conviction some of the most crucial moral, ethical, medical and spiritual issues of our time–including sanctity of life, bio-ethics, RU-486, ectopic pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, abortion, fetal tissue research, post-abortion emotional and spiritual recovery– False Positive take readers on a fast-paced thrill-ride ride and bring them face-to-face with the inseparable miracles of God’s forgiveness and grace.
Soon, with the help of Bethany Fabrazio, director of a pro-life women’s clinic, Red finds himself investigating what goes on behind closed doors at VIP. But what Bethany and Red don’t know is that some VIP doctors will stop at nothing to keep their secrets under wraps–even if it means taking Red’s life.
Addressing with sensitivity and conviction some of the most crucial moral, ethical, medical and spiritual issues of our time–including sanctity of life, bio-ethics, RU-486, ectopic pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, abortion, fetal tissue research, post-abortion emotional and spiritual recovery– False Positive take readers on a fast-paced thrill-ride ride and bring them face-to-face with the inseparable miracles of God’s forgiveness and grace.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2002
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
William R. Cutrer
11 books5 followersWilliam Cutrer, M.D, is C. Edwin Gheens Associate Professor of Christian Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a recognized expert in reproductive technology and medical ethics and is a licensed obstetrician/gynecologist who specialized in the treatment of infertility.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 30, 2011
"This book gets only one star from me, mostly for its preachy tone and one-dimensional characters. The villains are all unscrupulous unbelievers who not only perform abortions but also commit insurance fraud. The Christians are the heroes of the story who are unimpeachable, honest, hardworking, etc. A side point relating to the one-star review comes in the form of a woman who presents to the ER after having a failed elective abortion at 12 weeks and demands not to be given blood because she is one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
No. Just...no.
The authors are both intelligent enough (presumably) to have done their research for this book, and they should know that Jehovah's Witnesses are not pro-choice. This is either a dig at a religion they don't particularly like, or a sad case of not doing one's homework before writing a book. Given the fact that both authors hold advanced degrees, the former is most plausible.
The novel's protagonists are second-year resident Dr. Red Richison and clinic counselor Bethany Fabrizio, both of whom come to realize that a local abortion clinic (nicknamed VIP) has some serious problems, one of which is that the prescriptions for RU-486 aren't being prescribed properly (which is medical malpractice) and also that patients are being billed for services they didn't need (which is insurance fraud). The head of the clinic, the oily Dr. Ophion, protects himself and his best interests at all costs. Near the conclusion of the book, he hires fourth-year resident Dr. Denny Damon to work at his clinic and, more sinisterly, to "solve a problem" which turns out to be Dr. Richison's investigation into the clinic's daily routine. Dr. Damon injures Dr. Richison in such a way that made me stop and re-read a few pages to make sure I understood what had just happened.
The novel does contain a lot of medical jargon as well as explanations of how abortions are done. There's also some speculative fiction about how preemies could potentially be taken care of if we had the technology; this is explained through the actions of the head of OB-GYN, Dr. Kedar, and his determination to save his niece's life during the course of the story.
The novel itself is extremely pro-life and pro-Christianity. It also allows the reader to think more deeply about the philosophical concept of pragmatism (truth is what's useful; in the vernacular "whatever works"). What if an abortionist views his work as being useful and promoting human well-being? On the other hand, what if a pro-life counselor views her work as useful and promoting human well-being? To say "whatever works for you" leads to deep conflict; both sides cannot be true, however well they may work for each party. Pragmatism, when turned into a worldview, leads to this kind of incoherence."
No. Just...no.
The authors are both intelligent enough (presumably) to have done their research for this book, and they should know that Jehovah's Witnesses are not pro-choice. This is either a dig at a religion they don't particularly like, or a sad case of not doing one's homework before writing a book. Given the fact that both authors hold advanced degrees, the former is most plausible.
The novel's protagonists are second-year resident Dr. Red Richison and clinic counselor Bethany Fabrizio, both of whom come to realize that a local abortion clinic (nicknamed VIP) has some serious problems, one of which is that the prescriptions for RU-486 aren't being prescribed properly (which is medical malpractice) and also that patients are being billed for services they didn't need (which is insurance fraud). The head of the clinic, the oily Dr. Ophion, protects himself and his best interests at all costs. Near the conclusion of the book, he hires fourth-year resident Dr. Denny Damon to work at his clinic and, more sinisterly, to "solve a problem" which turns out to be Dr. Richison's investigation into the clinic's daily routine. Dr. Damon injures Dr. Richison in such a way that made me stop and re-read a few pages to make sure I understood what had just happened.
The novel does contain a lot of medical jargon as well as explanations of how abortions are done. There's also some speculative fiction about how preemies could potentially be taken care of if we had the technology; this is explained through the actions of the head of OB-GYN, Dr. Kedar, and his determination to save his niece's life during the course of the story.
The novel itself is extremely pro-life and pro-Christianity. It also allows the reader to think more deeply about the philosophical concept of pragmatism (truth is what's useful; in the vernacular "whatever works"). What if an abortionist views his work as being useful and promoting human well-being? On the other hand, what if a pro-life counselor views her work as useful and promoting human well-being? To say "whatever works for you" leads to deep conflict; both sides cannot be true, however well they may work for each party. Pragmatism, when turned into a worldview, leads to this kind of incoherence."
March 10, 2008
It's scary how realistic this book is; even though it seems too horrific and greusome to be true, this is what "interruption of pregnancy" really means.
Read
February 13, 2009This was a hard book to read due to the graphic tellings of partial-birth abortions..but the opinion is strong and tells a very good story.
February 21, 2024
Not as good as the first two books (3 stars)
"False Positive" is the third in the bioethics series by writing team William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn, following #1 “Lethal Harvest” and #2 “Deadly Cure”. In this novel, resident Dr. Red Richison finds himself in a romantic relationship with clinic counselor Bethany Fabrizio, and together they uncover the sordid and crooked schemes going on at the abortion clinic run by Dr Ophion. Here's what you can expect from this book:
1. ROMANCE: This novel is primarily a love story, and somewhat of a tacky one at that. Sure it is sweet, and some will love it, but I found it overly sappy, and to me it felt much like a secular romance (e.g. the focus on looks, fragrances, kissing etc), minus the immorality.
2. MEDICINE: There's a lot of medical jargon, and since the story focuses on obstetrics and gynecology, expect quite a bit of medical terminology and detail about childbirth and complications before and afterwards.
3. SUSPENSE: The medical world is the backdrop of a thriller type story. At times it was a little predictable, but overall the plot was handled reasonably well, and kept me turning the pages.
4. CHRISTIAN ETHICS: The authors are Christian, and so they present a very pro-life perspective on human life, which I appreciated. The evils of abortion are clearly portrayed, although the characters who support abortion in this novel are shown as evil in almost every respect, perhaps unrealistically so.
Overall this is a decent book, with a story line that has enough suspense to keep you reading, but it's perhaps not as strong as their other novels. Like them, the romantic element here is overdone, but it has enough redemptive qualities due to the thoughtful message about ethics that make it worth reading.
"False Positive" is the third in the bioethics series by writing team William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn, following #1 “Lethal Harvest” and #2 “Deadly Cure”. In this novel, resident Dr. Red Richison finds himself in a romantic relationship with clinic counselor Bethany Fabrizio, and together they uncover the sordid and crooked schemes going on at the abortion clinic run by Dr Ophion. Here's what you can expect from this book:
1. ROMANCE: This novel is primarily a love story, and somewhat of a tacky one at that. Sure it is sweet, and some will love it, but I found it overly sappy, and to me it felt much like a secular romance (e.g. the focus on looks, fragrances, kissing etc), minus the immorality.
2. MEDICINE: There's a lot of medical jargon, and since the story focuses on obstetrics and gynecology, expect quite a bit of medical terminology and detail about childbirth and complications before and afterwards.
3. SUSPENSE: The medical world is the backdrop of a thriller type story. At times it was a little predictable, but overall the plot was handled reasonably well, and kept me turning the pages.
4. CHRISTIAN ETHICS: The authors are Christian, and so they present a very pro-life perspective on human life, which I appreciated. The evils of abortion are clearly portrayed, although the characters who support abortion in this novel are shown as evil in almost every respect, perhaps unrealistically so.
Overall this is a decent book, with a story line that has enough suspense to keep you reading, but it's perhaps not as strong as their other novels. Like them, the romantic element here is overdone, but it has enough redemptive qualities due to the thoughtful message about ethics that make it worth reading.
August 28, 2017
Read this way back in high school, so I'll need to reread it to remember if I like the story or not. And I've just discovered it's part of a trilogy.
April 20, 2023
This book was so bad it literally made me pro-choice.
The preachiness was what turned me off. Christians are good, Muslims are confused. Fertility doctors are good, people who don't want babies are bad. Abortionists are Satan, medical residents are Jesus. It does not get more judgmental than this. At one point a women whose husband has had a heart attack elects not to tell her daughter until after the latter has gotten out of work. "Red clenched his free hand into a fist. How could someone be so callus?" And we're pretty much supposed to assume that she is also Satan.
Meanwhile, Dr. Satan, the abortionist, has a foil for Red, or as I usually call him, Jesus Christ. Denny Damon (oh god, what a subtle last name the man has) works for Dr. Satan and is always either smiling "a twisted smile" or plotting against "the resident he most detested" (185).
The worst part is the ending. Jesus Christ's OBGYN mentor, who has previously seemed to be a perfectly happy Muslim, suddenly prays to "God whom Red calls Father," and the abortion clinic tries to have Jesus Christ whacked. Just those two events sum up this entire book. The fact that Cutrer refuses to even acknowledge the fact that abortion is a moral grey area is inexcusable. Trying to simplify this topic down into Jesus Christ SuperResident vs. Dr. Satan is inexcusable. This entire novel is inexcusable.
The preachiness was what turned me off. Christians are good, Muslims are confused. Fertility doctors are good, people who don't want babies are bad. Abortionists are Satan, medical residents are Jesus. It does not get more judgmental than this. At one point a women whose husband has had a heart attack elects not to tell her daughter until after the latter has gotten out of work. "Red clenched his free hand into a fist. How could someone be so callus?" And we're pretty much supposed to assume that she is also Satan.
Meanwhile, Dr. Satan, the abortionist, has a foil for Red, or as I usually call him, Jesus Christ. Denny Damon (oh god, what a subtle last name the man has) works for Dr. Satan and is always either smiling "a twisted smile" or plotting against "the resident he most detested" (185).
The worst part is the ending. Jesus Christ's OBGYN mentor, who has previously seemed to be a perfectly happy Muslim, suddenly prays to "God whom Red calls Father," and the abortion clinic tries to have Jesus Christ whacked. Just those two events sum up this entire book. The fact that Cutrer refuses to even acknowledge the fact that abortion is a moral grey area is inexcusable. Trying to simplify this topic down into Jesus Christ SuperResident vs. Dr. Satan is inexcusable. This entire novel is inexcusable.
June 2, 2010
When crime finds fertile ground at a local abortion clinic, can a resident physician bring the perpetrators to justice?
Takes your heart to the real ethical issues as you delve into the excitement and intensity of the medical situations.
It deals with many abortion scenarios and thus probably not recommended for younger reads (under 16).
This is a great pro-life book embracing the sanctity of human life. Very emotional; will pull at your heart strings!
False Positive will bring you face to face with the miracles of grace and forgiveness.A little romance and light-heartedness is thrown in as well.
Takes your heart to the real ethical issues as you delve into the excitement and intensity of the medical situations.
It deals with many abortion scenarios and thus probably not recommended for younger reads (under 16).
This is a great pro-life book embracing the sanctity of human life. Very emotional; will pull at your heart strings!
False Positive will bring you face to face with the miracles of grace and forgiveness.A little romance and light-heartedness is thrown in as well.
April 18, 2010
An acquaintance recommended this book and it did not dissapoint. Christian Medical Sci-Fi might be a new favorite genre for me. The reality of abortion stands out, but it is presented truthfully. On the other hand the miracle of preserving life at such a young stage gives hope. Difficult decisions are made and current medical ethics are questioned in this book that is part mystery. This book was hard to put down.
February 22, 2015
This was the first book I have read by the author and I really enjoyed it. It has true to life descriptions which may cause some discomfort. I like how the author includes a character who still supports abortion in the end. Too many times people portray those who believe in abortion as bad. Although I think abortion is wrong, I do believe ther can be good people who hold opposite viewpoints.
December 19, 2007
This book will keep you reading to find out the truth.
July 8, 2008
Great read if you are into Medical Science and mystery. A quick read.
May 20, 2012
Interesting medical thriller, full of ethical issues regarding right to life written from a Christian perspective. Plenty of sub-plots to keep the story interesting.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews