Discusses passive and active euthanasia, describes the laws concerning assisted suicide, and examines suicide methods used by the terminally ill

"Opposing Viewpoints is the leading source for libraries and classrooms in need of current-issue materials. The viewpoints are selected from a wide range of highly respected sources and publications"--

Product Description: Death Talk asks why, when our society has rejected euthanasia for over two thousand years, are we now considering legalizing it? Has euthanasia been promoted by deliberately confusing it with other ethically acceptable acts? What is the relation between pain relief treatments that could shorten life and euthanasia? How do journalistic values and media ethics affect the public's perception of euthanasia? What impact would the legalization of euthanasia have on concepts of human rights, human responsibilities, and human ethics? Can we imagine teaching young physicians how to put their patients to death? There are vast ethical, legal, and social differences between natural death and euthanasia...read more

Argues that the alternative to euthanasia is better pain control and an improved U.S. hospice program, encouraging better pain-control education for physicians and financial incentives for hospice programs

Product Description: Is it ever acceptable to help another person to die? Faced with a terminally ill patient in great pain, what should a doctor or relative do? Euthanasia - the intentional ending of a life in order to relieve pain and suffering - raises many ethical questions...read more

The fate of seriously ill newborns has captured the atten­ tion of the public, of national and state legislators, and of powerful interest groups. For the most part, the debate has been cast in the narrowest possible terms: "discrimination against the handicapped"; "physician authority"; "family autonomy." We believe that something much more profound is happening: the debate over the care of sick and dying babies appears to be both a manifestation of great changes in our feelings about infants, children, and families, and a reflection of deep and abiding attitudes toward the newborn, the handi­ capped, and perhaps other humans who are "less than" nor­ mal, rational adults. How could we cast some light on those feelings and attitudes that seemed to determine silently the course of the public debate? We chose to enlist the humanities-the dis­ players and critics of our cultural forms. Rather than closing down the public discussion, we wanted to open it up, to illuminate it with the light of history, religion, philosophy, literature, jurisprudence, and humanistically oriented sociol­ ogy. This book is a first effort to place the hotly contested Baby Doe debate into a broader cultural context.

Accessible yet sophisticated book that explains the delicate issue of assisted suicide and asks readers to think about whether this difficult decision is ever right, wrong, or if it varies from case to case.

Product Description: After twenty years of living with terminal illness, Zoe FitzGerald Carter's mother decided to end her life-and asked her three daughters for their assistance. For months, the decision dragged on as her mother changed her methods and schedule, and the negotiations stirred up old memories, sibling rivalries, and questions about family loyalty...read more

Product Description: Zoe Carter’s busy life on the West Coast with her husband and daughters takes an unexpected detour when her glamorous, independent-minded mother, Margaret, tired of living with Parkinson’s disease, decides she wants to “end things...read more

Provides a critical study of the medical, ethical, and spiritual issues of euthanasia and a meditation on the nature of the soul and the meaning of life, offering a set of guidelines for the proper use of euthanasia

Product Description: The Essential Library is a well-researched, well-written, and beautifully designed imprint created specifically for the middle school reader. Great for reports!!!

Every day, thousands of people quietly face decisions as agonizing as those made famous in the Terri Schiavo case. Throughout that controversy, all kinds of people--politicians, religious leaders, legal and medical experts--made emphatic statements about the facts and offered even more certain opinions about what should be done. To many, courts were either ordering Terri's death by starvation or vindicating her constitutional rights. Both sides called for simple answers. If That Ever Happens to Me details why these simple answers were not right for Terri Schiavo and why they are not right for end-of-life decisions today.Lois Shepherd looks behind labels like "starvation," "care," or "medical treatment" to consider what care and feeding really mean, when feeding tubes might be removed, and why disability groups, the faithful, and even the dying themselves often suggest end-of-life solutions that they might later regret. For example, Shepherd cautions against living wills as a pat answer. She provides evidence that demanding letter-perfect documents can actually weaken, rather than bolster, patient choice. The actions taken and decisions made during Terri Schiavo's final years will continue to have repercussions for thousands of others--those nearing death, their families, health-care professionals, attorneys, lawmakers, clergy, media, researchers, and ethicists. If That Ever Happens to Me is an excellent choice for anyone interested in end-of-life law, policy, and ethics--particularly readers seeking a deeper understanding of the issues raised by Terri Schiavo's case.

Product Description: This revealing volume explores recent historical perspectives on the modern euthanasia and assisted-suicide debate and the political arenas in which it has unfolded.• Case studies explain contemporary legal techniques in the handling of euthanasia and assisted-suicide prosecutions, including those involving doctors, nurses, and family members • A chronology shows political events and major cases of medical euthanasia and assisted suicide over the past 100 years• A glossary explains key terms, such as "causation," "intent," "palliative care," and "double effect"• An interdisciplinary bibliography cites significant materials from the fields of history, law, and sociology, as well as major medical journal article...read more

Product Description: Description: Patrick is dying a slow, agonizing death. He wants his friend, Dr. Ron Grey to help him-but not to help him get better. Instead Patrick wants Ron to help him end his suffering by helping him end his life.This is the premise of a story that Paul Chamberlain employs to reveal the ethical and emotional complexities of a movement that is gaining supporters daily...read more