The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide (Pandora Soapbox S.) - Softcover

PANDORA SOAPBOX

Containing original research, historical contexts and cogent analysis, this powerful document by two acknowledged experts in the field is essential reading for anyone concerned with the ethics of medicine.

The Case For Physician Assisted Suicide explores the rationale behind the prohibition in the UK on assisting in the suicide of another, and proposes that these are strong arguments in contemporary societies which refute their validity. This book traces the history of – and rationales for – the prohibition on suicide itself, and brings the law up-to-date.

Physician assisted suicide occurs when a terminally ill patient takes the decision to end their life with the help of their doctor. It is a scenario which both frightens people and inflames moral passions.

In this courageous and informative book the authors argue clearly and forcefully for the legalisation of physician assisted suicide. They say:
· Medical advances will mean more and more terminally ill people find themselves kept alive against their wishes
· The autonomy of the patient must be the deciding factor
· Physicians are best placed to provide the means for suicide
· It is already happening in Britain anyway

Containing original research, historical contexts and cogent analysis, this powerful document by two acknowledged experts in the field is essential reading for anyone concerned with the ethics of medicine.

Sheila McLean is the International Bar Association Professor of Law and Ethics in Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Together with Alison Britton she has conducted original research into physician assisted suicide.