The Case Against Assisted Suicide

Annotation Few issues are as volatile or misunderstood as physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. In The Case against Assisted Suicide: For the Right to End-of-Life Care, Drs. Foley and Hendin unravel why such principles as patient autonomy, compassion, and ratio.

This book presents an atheistic case against the legalization of assisted suicide. Critical of both sides of the argument, it questions the assumptions behind the discussion. Yuill shows that our attitudes towards suicide – not euthanasia – are most important to our attitudes towards assisted suicide.

7 Euthanasia by Confusion

Finally, Dyck shows that the moral structure undergirding our system of law is compatible with the views of Christianity, and he points to certain Christian beliefs that provide comfort and hope to those who are suffering, dying, or experiencing the death of loved ones."--BOOK JACKET.

This book presents an atheistic case against the legalization of assisted suicide. Critical of both sides of the argument, it questions the assumptions behind the discussion. Yuill shows that our attitudes towards suicide – not euthanasia – are most important to our attitudes towards assisted suicide.

After assessing the strengths and weaknesses of arguments for assisted suicide and euthanasia, Gorsuch builds a nuanced, novel, and powerful moral and legal argument against legalization, one based on a principle that, surprisingly, has largely been overlooked in the debate; the idea that human life is intrinsically valuable and that intentional killing is always wrong. At the same time, the argument Gorsuch develops leaves wide latitude for individual patient autonomy and the refusal of unwanted medical treatment and life-sustaining care, permitting intervention only in cases where an intention to kill is present.

Physician-assisted death is now legal in six states, and is the subject of intense political and legal battles across the country. As our population ages, the debate continues. What are the main dividing lines in this debate? What are the principal ethical questions involved? Philosopher and ethicist L.W. Sumner equips readers with everything they need to know to take a reasoned and informed position on these and similar questions. He provides much-needed context by situating physician-assisted death within the wider framework of end-of-life care, and explains why the movement to legalize it now enjoys such strong public support by reviewing the movement's successes to date, beginning in Oregon in 1994 and now extending to twelve jurisdictions across three continents. By providing an overview of the main ethical and legal arguments on both sides, Sumner provides a clear and accessible explanation of why we have yet to resolve the controversy. Lastly, he consisiders the future political and judicial actions that are necessary for broader reform of end-of-life care. All those who care about how we handle end-of-life dilemmas will benefit from Sumner's deeply informed expertise on this important issue. -- Provided by publisher.

When the end of life makes its inevitable appearance, people should be able to expect reliable, humane, and effective caregiving. Yet too many dying people suffer unnecessarily. While an "overtreated" dying is feared, untreated pain or emotional abandonment are equally frightening. Approaching Death reflects a wide-ranging effort to understand what we know about care at the end of life, what we have yet to learn, and what we know but do not adequately apply. It seeks to build understanding of what constitutes good care for the dying and offers recommendations to decisionmakers that address specific barriers to achieving good care. This volume offers a profile of when, where, and how Americans die. It examines the dimensions of caring at the end of life: Determining diagnosis and prognosis and communicating these to patient and family. Establishing clinical and personal goals. Matching physical, psychological, spiritual, and practical care strategies to the patient's values and circumstances. Approaching Death considers the dying experience in hospitals, nursing homes, and other settings and the role of interdisciplinary teams and managed care. It offers perspectives on quality measurement and improvement, the role of practice guidelines, cost concerns, and legal issues such as assisted suicide. The book proposes how health professionals can become better prepared to care well for those who are dying and to understand that these are not patients for whom "nothing can be done."