The following discussion questions are grouped into two categories: The moral and ethical considerations, and the character and relationship of Cassandra Crawford and Martin Goldberg.

MORAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

1. Should Cassandra Crawford have agreed to involve her daughter in the sting? If not, was her action forgivable?

2. Crawford chose in New Delhi to subvert the investigation in order to get Keri a life-saving kidney. What would you have done? Why?

3. If you accept the premise that Crawford’s only option was to submit to Donaldson or face conviction and leave Keri an orphan, what would you have done? Why?

4. Crawford engineered a deal to extort Herman to give up his kidney as a quid pro quo to get released from jail and return to his home country. Was that immoral? Would you have done it?

5. If you could rank the four moral decisions that Crawford made (above), how would you order them?

6. Bradley Stone was clearly involved in providing contacts for illegal kidneys, although it is doubtful he received any payment or benefit. At the end of his trial there was a hung jury. Do you think he should have been convicted?

7. Who do you think was responsible for Miguel’s death at the beginning of the story? If you had been in his situation, would you have done what he did to pay for his father’s treatment?

8. In Part, “Mortal Choice” is about the tension between mortality and morality. How do you think the scales of the two concepts should be balanced? Does the fact of an imminent death ever change the moral equation?

9. The shortage of kidneys continues to be an international problem. Do you think people should be able to buy kidneys? What are the pros and cons?

10. What surprised you about Mortal Choice?

CHARACTERS:

1. Crawford faced many dilemmas. What were the dilemmas that Goldberg faced? Did you feel empathy for him? If so, what specifically in his situation or character made you empathetic?

2. Why do you think Crawford and Goldberg were such good friends? What was the basis of their friendship? Could you ever imagine Crawford feeling romantic or sexually attracted to Goldberg? Do you think a more permanent relationship would be possible?

3. Throughout the book, Crawford kept a number of things secret from Goldberg. What was the impact of this secrecy on their relationship?

4. At the end, Crawford chose not to tell Goldberg the whole truth. She was confident he would believe her story, but at the same time, fearful of his disapproval. Should she have told him? What would you have done?

5. Clearly, Goldberg was more open to a permanent or committed relationship than Crawford. Do you feel she was leading him on? If so, should she have had an honest talk with him about the limits of their relationship?

6. How did you feel about Cassandra Crawford when the book ended? Was the way in which she dealt with her dilemmas understandable? Was she a moral character? Could you imagine doing what she did if it was your child?

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