Forced Exit: The Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder - Hardcover

Smith, Wesley J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0812927907 ISBN 13: 9780812927900

Publisher: Times Books, 1997

Synopsis

Exposing the false premise of the euthanasia movement to make a compelling case against assisted suicide, Forced Exit reveals the horrors of the Netherlands, where 8.5 percent of all deaths are attributed to assisted suicide and where Dutch doctors have rapidly moved from euthanizing the terminally ill to killing infants with birth defects.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

false premise of the euthanasia movement to make a compelling case against assisted suicide, Forced Exit reveals the horrors of the Netherlands, where 8.5 percent of all deaths are attributed to assisted suicide and where Dutch doctors have rapidly moved from euthanizing the terminally ill to killing infants with birth defects.

Reviews

An anti-euthanasia activist blasts the right-to-die forces, calling their goal ``a social experiment that will lead to cultural and ethical catastrophe.'' As the attorney for the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, Smith appears frequently on radio and television to argue against what he calls ``the death culture.'' Opponents of assisted suicide--Smith uses the terms ``assisted suicide'' and ``euthanasia'' interchangeably--will find this a valuable debating manual, for it presents the most common pro-euthanasia arguments and then provides considered responses to them. Noting similarities between today's euthanasia movement and the one that flourished in Germany earlier in this century (despite the compassion that motivates contemporary supporters), and citing the results of what he refers to as ``death on demand'' in the Netherlands, he warns that granting the right to die to the terminally ill will soon be followed by legal killing of the disabled, the chronically ill, and even the depressed. Smith looks at the defeat of referendums to legalize euthanasia in Washington State and California, and examines weaknesses in the safeguards against abuse included in a similar Oregon referendum that narrowly passed but is now tied up in the courts. HMOs, with their emphasis on controlling costs by limiting services, and euthanasia are a deadly combination, he says, predicting that ``the day doctors are legally allowed to kill patients, Wall Street investors in for-profit HMOs will be dancing in the streets.'' A phrase-maker of no mean talent, Smith titles his last chapter ``Hospice or Hemlock: The Choice is Ours.'' In it he argues that we must create a culture of compassion that empowers the disabled, sees every patient as valuable, and provides end-of-life care to the dying. Powerful arguments from a passionate, articulate, sometimes strident spokesman. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Suicide isn't what it's cracked up to be, according to lawyer and consumer advocate Smith, who condemns the increasing public acceptance of all forms of suicide and euthanasia when ultimately inadequate medical care and an impersonal healthcare system are at fault. Above all, he fears that euthanasia will eventually become a legally enforceable right to kill. Not one to mince words, he calls proponents of the right-to-die movement "death fundamentalists" and warns against the degeneration of essential human values. Instead of legitimized euthanasia, Smith would like to see public policies designed to offer care to the clinically depressed and the terminally ill. At times emotional and rambling, his book nonetheless offers valuable insights into the consequences of condoned death.?Mary Hemmings, Univ. of Calgary Lib., Alberta
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Smith, coauthor of Nader's recent books on insurance (1993), airline safety (1993), and "power lawyers" , makes the case against assisted suicide, challenging "right to die" advocates (whom he labels supporters of "Death Fundamentalism") and urging that "euthanasia is unwise, unethical, and just plain wrong, a social experiment that if implemented will lead to cultural and ethical catastrophe." Smith examines the philosophical and cultural roots of support for assisted suicide; outlines the Dutch experience; explores the growth of euthanasia advocacy in the U.S.; analyzes the likely place of assisted suicide within an increasingly market-driven medical marketplace, and specific groups (e.g., people with disabilities) most likely to be victimized; sketches and responds to "commonly heard arguments"; and suggests another approach--overcoming "our national death phobia," better controlling HMOs, improving hospital ethics committees, and getting communities involved in supporting ill and aging neighbors. Thoughtful and provocative. Mary Carroll

Edition details

• Publisher: Times Books
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0812927907
• ISBN 13: 9780812927900
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 291