BOOK REVIEW by Michael Ernest Sweet

Where is our Freedom to Say No? by Shirley Cheng is a book which poses an important and timely question. Has our idea of paternalism in government gone too far? Are people in this supposedly “free world” indeed free to make decisions concerning their own lives? By examining her own life, and her mother’s experiences in dealing with her severe medical problems, Shirley Cheng shows us poignantly that we are at the mercy of the medical system and what ‘they’ think best. 

When Shirley’s mother attempted to oppose medical dictates she quickly realized that she had no ability to challenge the doctors of the ‘system’. She was not able to proceed with what she, as a parent, thought best, but rather had to proceed with the plans of medical system or risk loosing custody.   

Where is our Freedom to Say No? brings us many emotions as we read about Shirley and her mother and their struggles to follow their hearts. However, I do wonder if the issue is a simple as is sometimes presented in the book. Should parents make medical decisions alone? Should such crucial decisions be made merely based on love and common sense? Is this enough to ensure the child is not indeed being ‘abused’ or ‘neglected’? I am not sure. Shirley Cheng writes: 

“Love and common sense are the ingredients that make any person knowledgeable about any disease and the needs of the patient. If you lack these two most important elements, even if you have all the knowledge in the world, you will not be a good caregiver at all. That is why we have faced so many problems with doctors and officials. They may be experts in their fields, but they do not know anything about my needs when they lack love and common sense in full abundance, so she is the smartest doctor I have ever met” (p. 39). 

I am not sure I agree with Shirley in this passage. I do believe that love and common sense are an important ingredient in dealing with human beings, however, I am not confident that these elements can wholly replace more abstract and instrumental medical knowledge. If indeed love and reason clash should we merely consent to allow love to triumph – even at the expense of a human life? These questions are difficult and complex and provide for a dense and tangled ground philosophically. 

I do applaud Shirley Cheng for tackling such questions, questions which, undoubtedly, will become urgent in the coming years as medical technology increases to tax bioethical concerns. More books like Cheng’s Where is our Freedom to Say No? will be needed in our quest to resolve pressing questions about the fate of human life in the hands of artificial intelligence. 

The book reads easily but is also awkward at times as the author struggles with the conventions of the English language. Also annoying is the fact that many parts of the book are excerpts from the author’s autobiography. In my opinion if you have material for a book write one, if not, don’t. What I dislike are books which fill space with previously published material by the same author. However, these small annoyances aside, I do feel Where is our Freedom to Say No? poses important questions and provides insightful glimpses into the possible answers. 

Where is our Freedom to Say No? can be purchased through Shirley Cheng’s website www.ShirleyCheng.com. 

Michael Ernest Sweet lives, writes and teaches in Montreal, Canada. Michael is the founder of www.LearningforaCause.org an educational non-profit which publishes and promotes student written books.