Physician-Assisted Death / Edition 1

by James M. Humber, Robert F. Almeder, Gregg A. Kasting

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617370021
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	11/19/2010
Series:	Biomedical Ethics Reviews
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 1994
Pages:	155
Product dimensions:	8.27(w) x 10.98(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

Humber, James M. (Georgia State Univ); Almeder, Robert F. (Georgia State Univ); Kasting, Gregg A. (Georgia State Univ)

The contributors represent the specialties of philosophy, biomedical ethics, and medical humanities. All come from the U.S. and represent Loyola, Univ of Virginia, and Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Table of Contents

Doctors’ Attitudes and Experiences with Physician-Assisted Death: A Review of the Literature.- The Nonnecessity of Euthanasia.- The Constitutionality of Elective and Physician-Assisted Death.- Physician-Assisted Suicide and Active Euthanasia.- The Ethics of Physician-Assisted Suicide.- Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Destiny: The Case of Thomas Donaldson.

Editorial Reviews

Well-organized, competent discussions of ethical and practical arguments...chapters are clearly written and easy to read...a necessary introduction for intelligent decision-making. - Canadian Medical Association Journal

From the Publisher

3 Stars from Doody

This book mobilizes the varied expertise of seven authors, some more well known than others, to examine in six chapters the moral, legal, psychological, and sociological dimensions of the currently debated issue of physician involvement in actively helping a patient who requests to die, whether by helping the patient to inflict death on self or by doing this for the patient. The purpose is to survey and interpret critically the extensive literature that has developed about this debated issue. Although it aims to help persons active in health care to obtain an overview of the debate, it also seems to aim at a wider public as well. The essays do provide a wide examination of the literature. This collection surveys some viewpoints on the debated issue as these were developed prior to the successful passage of the Oregon initiative legalizing physician-assisted dying in November 1994. The overall impact of the collection is to engender support of such initiatives. The general thrust of several of the essays is to support "physician-assisted dying" and to reject completely the opposite view. Two essays present arguments on both sides more dispassionately. No essay examines fully the hospice experience with care of the dying or discusses the probable negative impact on further development and financing of hospice if legal permission is given to physician-assisted dying. Nor are the developing constraints of managed care on the capacity of physicians to carefully determine the rationality of the requests to be helped to die discussed.

James F. Bresnahan

Seven essays examine the medical, ethical, legal, and philosophical issues involved in physician-assisted death and the arguments for and against it. They discuss the impact on society, on the physician-patient relationship, and on the right to privacy, drawing on recent public opinion polls, surveys of physicians and practices in other countries. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Reviewer: James F. Bresnahan, SJ, JD, LLM, PhD (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Description: This book mobilizes the varied expertise of seven authors, some more well known than others, to examine in six chapters the moral, legal, psychological, and sociological dimensions of the currently debated issue of physician involvement in actively helping a patient who requests to die, whether by helping the patient to inflict death on self or by doing this for the patient.
Purpose: The purpose is to survey and interpret critically the extensive literature that has developed about this debated issue.
Audience: Although it aims to help persons active in health care to obtain an overview of the debate, it also seems to aim at a wider public as well.
Features: The essays do provide a wide examination of the literature. This collection surveys some viewpoints on the debated issue as these were developed prior to the successful passage of the Oregon initiative legalizing physician-assisted dying in November 1994.
Assessment: The overall impact of the collection is to engender support of such initiatives. The general thrust of several of the essays is to support "physician-assisted dying" and to reject completely the opposite view. Two essays present arguments on both sides more dispassionately. No essay examines fully the hospice experience with care of the dying or discusses the probable negative impact on further development and financing of hospice if legal permission is given to physician-assisted dying. Nor are the developing constraints of managed care on the capacity of physicians to carefully determine the rationality of the requests to be helped to die discussed.

Doody's Review Service