A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America
Language: English
Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: Price-less Books, Urbana, IL, U.S.A.Price-less Books
AbeBooks seller since November 1, 1998
Condition: Used - Very good
US$ 14.00
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
250pp. Index. Light wear, rubbing wraps.
Seller Inventory # 208656
- Title
- A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America
- Author
- Dowbiggin, Ian
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press, Oxford
- Publication year
- 2003
- Condition
- VG+
- Dust jacket
- VG+
- Binding
- Hb
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0195154436
- ISBN 13
- 9780195154436
- Edition
- 1st.
Now, in A Merciful End, Ian Dowbiggin offers the first full-scale historical account of one of the most controversial reform movements in America. Drawing on unprecedented access to the archives of the Euthanasia Society of America, interviews with important figures in the movement today, and flashpoint cases such as the tragic fate of Karen Ann Quinlan, Dowbiggin tells the dramatic story of the men and women who struggled throughout the twentieth century to change the nation's attitude--and its laws--regarding mercy killing. In tracing the history of the euthanasia movement, he documents its intersection with other progressive social causes: women's suffrage, birth control, abortion rights, as well as its uneasy pre-WWII alliance with eugenics. Such links brought euthanasia activists into fierce conflict with Judeo-Christian institutions who worried that "the right to die" might become a "duty to die." Indeed, Dowbiggin argues that by joining a sometimes overzealous quest to maximize human freedom with a desire to "improve" society, the euthanasia movement has been dogged by the fear that mercy killing could be extended to persons with disabilities, handicapped newborns, unconscious geriatric patients, lifelong criminals, and even the poor. Justified or not, such fears have stalled the movement, as more and more Americans now prefer better end-of-life care than wholesale changes in euthanasia laws.
For anyone trying to decide whether euthanasia offers a humane alternative to prolonged suffering or violates the "sanctity of life," A Merciful End provides fascinating and much-needed historical context.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Price-less Books
Urbana, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since November 1, 1998
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | US$ 3.90 | US$ 19.00 |
Payment methods
- Check
- Money Order
Store description
Sell used and rare books. Accept cash or electronic payment.
Specialty
Travel, Women's Studies, Contemporary Fiction, Literature, Music, Cookbooks, Art, Literary Criticism, History, PhilosophySeller's business information
••-•••5128
112 W. Main
Urbana, IL U.S.A. 61801
Terms of sale
Subject to prior sale, returns accepted within 10 days if not as
described. Will hold books for two weeks. PAYMENT: Check/credit card:
VISA/MC/Discover/Am Express. IL residents add 9% sales tax. SHIPPING: USPS Media Mail
: 1st book $3.60 each additional $1.50. Foreign
mailings at exact postage. Inquire for priority, airmail, Fedex,
UPS, other carriers. Pls confirm availability.
Shipping terms
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.