Arguing Euthanasia: The Controversy Over Mercy Killing, Assisted Suicide, And The "Right To Die" - Softcover

Moreno, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684807602 ISBN 13: 9780684807607

Publisher: Touchstone, 1995

Synopsis

Arguing Euthanasia features essays by such outspoken advocates of active euthanasia.

As they probe the legal and ethical issues at the heart of physician-assisted suicide, these essays offer invaluable insights not only for those caring for the terminally ill but for anyone concerned with the deeper philosophical conflict between enduring life-oriented values and personal dignity that lies at the heart of this controversy.

About this title

About the Author

Jonathan D. Moreno is a philosopher and historian who specializes in the intersection of bioethics, culture, science, and national security, and has published seminal works on the history, sociology and politics of biology and medicine

From the Back Cover

Arguing Euthanasia brings together for the first time an impressive array of viewpoints from both sides of this emotionally charged question as well as voices from the gravely ill and their loved ones. Beginning with a selection of pieces from the New England Journal of Medicine, where the debate was ignited in 1988, Arguing Euthanasia features essays by such outspoken advocates of active euthanasia as Timothy Quill and Sidney Hook, and important social critics and commentators such as Nat Hentoff, Leon R. Kass, and Ronald Dworkin. As they probe the legal and ethical issues at the heart of physician-assisted suicide, these essays offer invaluable insights not only for those caring for the terminally ill but for anyone concerned with the deeper philosophical conflict between enduring life-oriented values and personal dignity that lies at the heart of this controversy.

Reviews

The right of terminally ill patients to put an end to their suffering has been treated as homicide in every country except the Netherlands?at least until November 8, 1994. On that date, Oregon voters became the first in our nation to approve assisted suicide, although the measure did not survive a court challenge. This collection of 19 provocative essays, by medical professionals and social commentators, examines the question. Hippocrates could not have imagined 2000 years ago the consequences of today's aggressive end-of-life hospital care. Most of us will die in institutions, rather than at home, surrounded by staff, rather than a personal physician. And all of us must ask: Given the resources for medical intervention, will I be allowed to die with dignity? This collection documents the popular movement that culminated in Oregon's referendum, beginning in 1988 with the anonymous Journal of the American Medical Association article, "It's Over, Debbie." It also includes Dr. Timothy E. Quill's 1991 landmark piece, "Death and Dignity," as well as personal accounts of assisted suicide by Richard Selzer and Betty Rollin. As they probe the legal and ethical issues at the heart of the postmodern dilemma ("What is a dignified death?"), these arguments offer valuable insights for humane treatment. They promise to become even more timely as life-prolonging technology advances.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Touchstone
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0684807602
• ISBN 13: 9780684807607
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256