Assisted Suicide: Theory and Practice in Elective Death [Hardcover]

C. G. Prado (Author), S. J. Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

Court cases in the United States and Canada, and attendant media coverage, have transformed assisted suicide from an unspoken practice to a pressing social issue. Assisted suicide has joined abortion as one of the major and most intractable issues of our time. Behind the rhetoric of public debate, the truly important questions are whether assisted suicide ever makes good sense, whether assisting suicide should ever be permissible, and if so, what professional ethics should govern its provision. Effective ethical guidance for assisted suicide is not lacking for want of effort, but rather because of conflict and dissent. Arguments about it arise from divergent conceptions of personal autonomy and the nature of human life. The hard fact that assisted suicide is practised regardless of its legality makes questions about the ethics that govern it all the more urgent. Professors Prado and Taylor strive to achieve a compromise between ethical theoreticians and clinicians by clarifying what is most at issue in their arguments. Among the topics of their discussion are the criteria for rational suicide; making a genuine, unimpaired choice; and the problem of the slippery slope. Though they do not agree, their collaboration results in a constructive exploration of one of the most difficult ethical dilemmas of our time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[the authors] bring light to such elements as the criteria for rational suicide, making a genuine and unimpaired choice, and the famous slippery slope." -- Book News, March 2000

About the Author

C.G. Prado is professor of philosophy at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, and author of THE LAST CHOICE: PREEMPTIVE SUICIDE IN ADVANCED AGE.

S.J. Taylor is a bioethicist on the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen's University and a clinical ethicist at the Kingston General Hospital. She has published a number of articles on end-of-life and gender issues and professional ethics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Humanity Books; 1 edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573926345
• ISBN-13: 978-1573926348
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,332,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Assisted Suicide, November 18, 2005

By 

Tyson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assisted Suicide: Theory and Practice in Elective Death (Hardcover)

Being a Philosophy major at Oklahoma State University I found this book to be very informative in an ethical perspective. The two authors, Prado and Taylor, have different views on the hot button topic of Physician Assisted Suicide. This gives the reader a broad overview of opinions toward the subjects. The book starts with the basic definition of assisted suicide and goes to the ethics dealing with it. However, the book does not mention anything about the leaglization of assisted suicide because they state regardless of the legality it happens. Personally, I would reccomend this book to anyone who has an intrest in learning about the ethics and morals in the issue of assisted suicide.