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Issues of Life and Death such as abortion, assisted suicide, capital punishment and others are among the most contentious in many societies. Whose rights are protected? How do these rights and protections change over time and who makes those decisions? Based on the author 's award-winning and hugely popular undergraduate course at the University of Texas, this book explores these questions and the fundamentally sociological processes which underlie the quest for morality and justice in human societies. The Author 's goal is not to advocate any particular moral "high ground" but to shed light on the social movements and social processes which are at the root of these seemingly personal moral questions.
List of contents
1. A single Question Part I. A Moral System Evolves 2. An Exclusionary Movement is Born 3. Legal Reform to Eliminate Defectives 4. Redrawing the Boundaries of Protected Life 5. Crystallizing Events and Ethical Principles Part II. The Early Moments and Months of Life 6. A Bolt from the Blue: Abortion is Legalized 7. Man's Law or God's Will 8. Inches from Life 9. Should the Baby Live? Part III. The Boundaries of Tolerable Suffering 10. Limits to Tolerable Suffering 11. Alleviating Suffering and Protecting Life 12. God, Duty, and Life Worth Living 13. Assisted Dying Part IV. Taking Life and Inflicting Suffering 14. Removing the Protective Boundaries of Life 15. A Campaign to Stop the Executions 16. The Pendulum Swings, the Debate Continues 17. Lessons Learned
About the author
Sheldon Ekland-Olson is the Audre and Bernard Centennial Professor at The University Texas at Austin, where he served as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Executive Vice President and Provost. He is the winner of numerous teaching awards and one of his classes was once listed among the 10 Hottest Courses in the Nation. His previous publications include The Rope, The Chair and the Needle, Texas Prisons, and Justice Under Pressure.
