Human Dignity and Assisted Death

Human Dignity and Assisted Death PDF

Author: Sebastian Muders

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-10-20

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0190675969

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Assisted dying is still an extremely contested topic in Bioethics. Despite the strongly influential role human dignity plays in this debate, it still has not received the appropriate, multi-faceted treatment it deserves. Studies show that the notion of dignity already plays an important role in medical contexts: it is frequently used by health care professionals as well as patients. However, its use in these contexts needs to be analyzed and explained in more detail. Moreover, a review of the available literature clearly shows that the general, highly fruitful academic debate on human dignity is more than ready to take the next step into applied ethics: in particular, into the even more controversial area of assisted death. This book offers a detailed philosophical analysis of dignity and how it relates to assisted death. Its audience will benefit both from the general discussion of human dignity it offers as well as from the specific bioethical context to which it is applied.

Physician-Assisted Death

Physician-Assisted Death PDF

Author: James M. Humber

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 1994-02-04

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 1592594484

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Physician-Assisted Death is the eleventh volume of Biomedical Ethics Reviews. We, the editors, are pleased with the response to the series over the years and, as a result, are happy to continue into a second decade with the same general purpose and zeal. As in the past, contributors to projected volumes have been asked to summarize the nature of the literature, the prevailing attitudes and arguments, and then to advance the discussion in some way by staking out and arguing forcefully for some basic position on the topic targeted for discussion. For the present volume on Physician-Assisted Death, we felt it wise to enlist the services of a guest editor, Dr. Gregg A. Kasting, a practicing physician with extensive clinical knowledge of the various problems and issues encountered in discussing physician assisted death. Dr. Kasting is also our student and just completing a graduate degree in philosophy with a specialty in biomedical ethics here at Georgia State University. Apart from a keen interest in the topic, Dr. Kasting has published good work in the area and has, in our opinion, done an excellent job in taking on the lion's share of editing this well-balanced and probing set of essays. We hope you will agree that this volume significantly advances the level of discussion on physician-assisted euthanasia. Incidentally, we wish to note that the essays in this volume were all finished and committed to press by January 1993.

Death with Dignity

Death with Dignity PDF

Author: Robert Orfali

Publisher: Hillcrest Publishing Group

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1936780186

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In this book the author makes a case for legalized physician-assisted dying. Using the latest data from Oregon and the Netherlands, he puts a new slant on perennial debate topics such as "slippery slopes," "the integrity of medicine," and "sanctity of life." This book provides an in-depth look at how we die in America today. It examines the shortcomings of our end-of-life system. You will learn about terminal torture in hospital ICUs and about the alternatives: hospice and palliative care. The author scrutinizes the good, the bad, and the ugly. He provides a critique of the practice of palliative sedation. The book makes a strong case that assisted dying complements hospice. By providing both, Oregon now has the best palliative-care system in America. This book, above all, may help you or someone you care about navigate this strange landscape we call "end of life." It can be an informed guide to "a good death" in the age of hospice and high-tech medical intervention.

Self-Determination, Dignity and End-of-Life Care

Self-Determination, Dignity and End-of-Life Care PDF

Author: Stefania Negri

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2012-02-03

Total Pages: 487

ISBN-13: 9004223584

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By providing an interdisciplinary reading of advance directives regulation in international, European and domestic law, this book offers new insights into the most controversial legal issues surrounding the debate over dignity and autonomy at the end of life.

The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia PDF

Author: Neil M. Gorsuch

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2009-04-12

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0691140979

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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.

Dying with Dignity

Dying with Dignity PDF

Author: Giza Lopes

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2015-04-28

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13:

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Providing a thorough, well-researched investigation of the socio-legal issues surrounding medically assisted death for the past century, this book traces the origins of the controversy and discusses the future of policymaking in this arena domestically and abroad. Should terminally ill adults be allowed to kill themselves with their physician's assistance? While a few American states—as well as Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg—have answered "yes," in the vast majority of the United States, assisted death remains illegal. This book provides a historical and comparative perspective that not only frames contemporary debates about assisted death and deepens readers' understanding of the issues at stake, but also enables realistic predictions for the likelihood of the future diffusion of legalization to more countries or states—the consequences of which are vast. Spanning a period from 1906 to the present day, Dying with Dignity: A Legal Approach to Assisted Death examines how and why pleas for legalization of "euthanasia" made at the beginning of the 20th century were transmuted into the physician-assisted suicide laws in existence today, in the United States as well as around the world. After an introductory section that discusses the phenomenon of "medicalization" of death, author Giza Lopes, PhD, covers the history of the legal development of "aid-in-dying" in the United States, focusing on case studies from the late 1900s to today, then addresses assisted death in select European nations. The concluding section discusses what the past legal developments and decisions could portend for the future of assisted death.

Compassion in Dying

Compassion in Dying PDF

Author: Barbara Coombs Lee

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13:

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Whether people have a right to control their own death has become a topic of increasing interest to everyone involved - governments that try to impose their will on individuals, advocates on both sides of the question, and those most directly affected, the terminally ill. This book, inspired by the Compassion in Dying Federation, looks at the issue personally, from the standpoint of the dying and those directly involved in the process. Editor Barbara Coombs Lee highlights stories of individuals and their graceful release into death that can happen when people are given a choice. But there are also powerful accounts by family members, friends, and religious advisers who respected and supported that choice - including those who opted for physician-assisted death. This publication coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Compassion in Dying Federation.

Suffering and Dignity in the Twilight of Life

Suffering and Dignity in the Twilight of Life PDF

Author: B. Ars

Publisher: Kugler Publications

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9789062991976

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This book is intended for everyone, but in particular for caregivers who are in the front line of the problem regarding the end of life and euthanasia. By presenting a critical analysis of the debate from a multidisciplinary perspective, the aim of this work is to provide a positive message about the therapeutic relationship at the end of life. Far from presenting an impenetrable tome or encyclopedia on the subject, our goal was to provide food for thought with sufficient information presented in what we hope to be a sober, thoughtful, and pedagogical manner. Thus, we have chosen not to discuss numerous very interesting questions that would have been beyond our goals. You will not find anything in the following pages about the etymology or history of the term 'euthanasia', or about the religious point of view, medical codes of ethics, opinions of national ethics committees, or even about the laws of countries where euthanasia was legalized before being outlawed (Australia), or is being seriously considered, sometimes in a bill that is already before parliament. In these pages, we are hoping to achieve a multidisciplinary book which will be regarded as a synthesis, offering a serene and positive vision of the end of life. The book is divided into three parts: the first, written by various physicians and a nurse, describes the different medical approaches to the 'end of life' now in existence, as well as possible treatments against pain and suffering. The second part, written by lawyers, provides a critical analysis of existing legislation in the only countries/states that have legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide: the State of Oregon in the USA, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The third and final part is a philosophical reflection on the dignity of the 'end of life' and places euthanasia in its anthropological, ethical, and sociopolitical context.

The Right to Die with Dignity

The Right to Die with Dignity PDF

Author: Refaʾēl Kōhēn-Almagôr

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9780813529868

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There are few issues more divisive than what has become known as "the right to die." One camp upholds "death with dignity," regarding the terminally ill as autonomous beings capable of forming their own judgment on the timing and process of dying. The other camp advocates "sanctity of life," regarding life as intrinsically valuable, and that should be sustained as long as possible. Is there a right answer? Raphael Cohen-Almagor takes a balanced approach in analyzing this emotionally charged debate, viewing the dispute from public policy and international perspectives. He offers an interdisciplinary, compelling study in medicine, law, religion, and ethics. It is a comprehensive look at the troubling question of whether physician-assisted suicide should be allowed. Cohen-Almagor delineates a distinction between active and passive euthanasia and discusses legal measures that have been invoked in the United States and abroad. He outlines reasons non-blood relatives should be given a role in deciding a patient's last wishes. As he examines euthanasia policies in the Netherlands and the 1994 Oregon Death with Dignity Act, the author suggests amendments and finally makes a circumscribed plea for voluntary physician-assisted suicide.