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This book addresses key historical, scientific, legal, and philosophical issues surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide in the United States as well as in other countries and cultures.
Euthanasia was practiced by Greek physicians as early as 500 BC. In the 20th century, legal and ethical controversies surrounding assisted dying exploded. Many religions and medical organizations led the way in opposition, citing the incompatibility of assisted dying with various religious traditions and with the obligations of medical personnel toward their patients. Today, these practices remain highly controversial both in the United States and around the world.
Comprising contributions from an international group of experts, this book thoroughly investigates euthanasia and assisted suicide from an interdisciplinary and global perspective. It presents the ethical arguments for and against assisted dying; highlights how assisted dying is perceived in various cultural and philosophical traditions-for example, South and East Asian cultures, Latin American perspectives, and religions including Islam and Christianity; and considers how assisted dying has both shaped and been shaped by the emergence of professionalized bioethics. Readers will also learn about the most controversial issues related to assisted dying, such as pediatric euthanasia, assisted dying for organ transplantation, and "suicide tourism," and examine concerns relating to assisted dying for racial minorities, children, and the disabled.
List of contents
IntroductionMichael J. CholbiPart I History, Practice, and LawChapter 1 Physician-Assisted Dying and the Law in the United States: A Perspective on Three Prospective Futures
Arthur G. SvensonChapter 2 The Assisted Dying Bill for England and Wales
Raphael Cohen-AlmagorChapter 3 Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Attitudes and Polices in Mexico
Asunción Álvarez del Río, Julieta Gómez Ávalos, and Isaac González HuertaChapter 4 Suffering, Compassion, and Freedom: Mahayana Buddhism and East Asian Attitudes Toward Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
Brett BarleymanChapter 5 The Continental Perspective on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
Jack SimmonsChapter 6 Christian Perspectives on Assisted Dying: An Issue for Religious Ethics121
Lloyd SteffenPart II Ethics and PolicyChapter 7 Ethical Evaluation of Euthanasia in the Islamic Tradition
Tuba Erkoç Baydar and Ilhan IlkilicChapter 8 An Argument in Favor of the Morality of Voluntary Medically Assisted Death
Robert YoungChapter 9 Limiting the Right to Die: Moral Logic, Professional Integrity, Societal Ethos
Courtney S. CampbellChapter 10 Respect for Personal Autonomy in the Justification of Death-Hastening Choices
Paul T. MenzelChapter 11 Intention, Permissibility, and the Consistency of Traditional End-of-Life Care
Joseph BoyleChapter 12 Assisted Dying and Palliation
Ben A. RichChapter 13 Capacity and Assisted Dying
Colin GavaghanChapter 14 Advance Directives for Euthanasia
Eric VogelsteinChapter 15 Pediatric Euthanasia
Jacob M. AppelChapter 16 Traveling for Assisted Suicide
I. Glenn CohenAbout the Editor and ContributorsIndex
About the author
Michael J. Cholbi, PhD, is professor of philosophy at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
