Last Rights The Struggle Over The Right To Die

by Woodman, Sue

• ISBN13: 9780738203508
• ISBN10: 0738203505
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-25
• Publisher: Balance

Summary

Last Rights is a compassionate, comprehensive, up-to-the-minute examination of the right-to-die movement in America and the medical, legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding euthanasia. The stories behind the headlines are revealed - both (in)famous and lesser known - through stirring personal testimonies. Airing the views of activists and opponents, Sue Woodman considers the complex questions that will continue to engage us for as long as we live and die. In the end, we are left with this question: Could the right to die be humankind's ultimate civil rights struggle?

Author Biography

Sue Woodman is a freelance journalist who specializes in health and social issues for a number of national magazines including Allure, New Woman, Ms., and McCalls. She also writes features for U.S. and British publications such as The Nation, The Independent of London, and the Manchester Guardian. For many years Woodman was a New York correspondent for BBC domestic and world service radio and UNICEF radio worldwide.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition	vii
Introduction	xi
The Twentieth-Century Battle over Death	1	(6)
The Anguish of a Difficult Death	7	(12)
``Death with Dignity'': The Hope of a Movement	19	(6)
The Right to Die: An Argument as Old as Life Itself?	25	(18)
Foreign Rights: A World-View of Death	43	(16)
Dr. Death: Dispensing Mercy or Murder?	59	(24)
The Leading Activists and Their Obsessive Quest	83	(16)
The Rank and File: Just Your Normal Next-Door Neighbors	99	(18)
The Medical Establishment: A Fortress Divided	117	(22)
Rational Suicide: The Password to a New Frontier?	139	(14)
Suspicion and Fear from the Vulnerable	153	(14)
Religion and Ethics: Who Cares for the Soul?	167	(14)
The Devil Is in the Details: Navigating the Nightmare Cases	181	(14)
Postscript	195	(6)
Bibliography	201	(6)
Acknowledgments	207	(2)
Index	209