Dr. Robert D. Orr was a committed Christian, good friend, and exemplary physician. His medical prowess and wisdom were perhaps most powerfully evidenced in his book Medical Ethics and the Faith Factor: A Handbook for Clergy and Health-Care Professionals. That book was the third project developed for The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity’s (CBHD’s) second book series with Eerdmans, Critical Issues in Bioethics. His volume brilliantly demonstrates how the work of earlier books in the series produced by Biola’s Scott Rae and Harvard’s Arthur Dyck cash out in the everyday practice of medicine. It is a wonderful discussion of a great array of real-life case studies, filled with the insight that comes from a lifetime of faithful caring for patients in the service of God.

I probably first encountered Dr. Bob Orr in Toronto—close to 40 years ago. We were both attending a conference—sponsored by the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA)—that was intended to be an introduction to faith-based medical ethics and would drum up interest for this relatively unheralded discipline.

Dr. Robert D. Orr stood out as a Physician, and one of integrity. That is to say, he was a fully integrated individual—theologically, philosophically, professionally, and personally—who engaged each patient and colleague with recognition of their own integrity.

Is Dr. Orr’s approach to bioethics consultation unique? I cannot say, as I have not had another instructor in consultation methodology. Is his approach to bioethics consultation effective and efficient? That I can answer affirmatively.

I first met Bob Orr when I was a medical student and he was teaching a class on bioethics. He had recently started the clinical ethics consult service at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), and I had had an interest in ethics since my undergrad days. Dr. Orr had reluctantly left his home in beautiful Vermont to come to the desert of Southern California and start an official ethics program at LLUMC. He was a Family Medicine physician by training; thus, he joined the Family Medicine department and served as one of the attendings who would chief in the residency clinic. Bob was a master teacher. His lectures were engaging and thought-provoking, and he knew that telling stories was the best way to help people understand what ethics was all about. For Bob, he believed that ethics meant treating people kindly and fairly. Ethics was not just an academic endeavor for Bob. He saw it as a way to make the world a kinder, gentler place for those who were often overlooked and disadvantaged.

“Dr. Orr, is this a situation where it would be permissible to withdraw care?” asked one of my classmates. Looking intently at the student and ensuring everyone was listening, Dr. Orr answered, “We may withdraw certain treatments, but we never withdraw care.” It has been 16 years since I heard Bob’s response to that student’s question. Whether I am teaching clinical ethics to medical students or discussing a complex case with members of my hospital ethics committee, I often find myself repeating Bob’s profound insight. His statement has the same impact on my students and colleagues today as it did on me in that classroom many years ago.

It has been 16 years since I heard Bob’s response to that student’s question. Whether I am teaching clinical ethics to medical students or discussing a complex case with members of my hospital ethics committee, I often find myself repeating Bob’s profound insight. His statement has the same impact on my students and colleagues today as it did on me in that classroom many years ago.

The opportunity to study clinical ethics with Bob was what ultimately convinced me to pursue an advanced degree in bioethics. I had heard him speak on this topic at a conference a few years prior, and I knew that spending time with him would make a significant difference in how I directed the ethics committee at my hospital and taught the residents and students in our family medicine residency. When I enrolled in Bob’s class, I had no idea that one day I would teach several courses with him, use his approach to clinical ethics to change how my hospital ran its ethics committee, and pass his teaching methods on to hundreds of students, residents, and colleagues. In the process, Bob became a friend and mentor. Not only did he help me grow in my understanding and practice of clinical ethics, but he also helped me appreciate the incredible privilege we have been given to serve God and our fellow human beings through medicine.