Final Acts of Love [Paperback]

Stephen Jamison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 1997

In a compassionate guide to making the most difficult choice a friend, spouse, or relative can make, Jamison--a member of the Euthanasia Research and Guidance Organization and consultant to the Hemlock Society of Northern California--offers specific guidelines for making a well-reasoned, intelligent, and humane decision without advocating a specific course of action.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First as a professional thanatologist and then as a witness to the painful dying of a family member, Jamison describes the impetus of the research project on which he based this book. In contacts with nearly 200 people from various walks of life, he was made privy to their roles in assisted deaths. Eschewing current medical and legal controversy, Jamison focuses on the issue of control, whether a person is dying, helping another to die or providing care. What he describes as guidelines for self-exploration are offered as preparation in cases of terminal illness and intractable pain. Although claims of neutrality are made by Jamison, he is a former director of the Hemlock Society, U.S.A. This sensitive guide could be a valuable resource for anyone who must face the issue of assisted death.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Jamison, a social psychologist and national spokesperson on assisted dying, presents a loving and mindful alternative approach to the no-nonsense Kevorkian method of assisted suicide. While this may well serve as a manual to assisted death, it differs from similar books, such as Derek Humphrey's Final Exit (The Hemlock Society, 1991) in that Jamison goes beyond the sometimes grisly practicalities by placing human relationships paramount in all considerations of the dying process and arguing that assisted death is an extraordinary act to be undertaken only as an extreme measure. Jamison provides the individual with guidelines for self-exploration that will bring about a clearer understanding of motives as well as facilitate a "good death." Advice on how to open avenues of discussion with others is included, as are guidelines for those considering assisting in a death. Chapters intended to prepare the individual for the final decision include practical guidance on where to go for information, where to secure the means for assisted death, and what happens when things go wrong. Any library that includes Final Exit in its collection can fill a gap by providing this collection of thoughtful guidelines for a good death. Particularly timely, it is highly recommended without any hesitations.
Dana L. Brumbelow, Auburn P.L., Ala.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 279 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (January 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874778492
• ISBN-13: 978-0874778496
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,945,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 25 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE HELPING OTHERS TO DIE, August 30, 2010

By 

James L. Park "James Leonard Park" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Final Acts of Love: Families, Friends, and Assisted Dying (Paperback)

Stephen Jamison, PhD.
Final Acts of Love: Families, Friends, and Assisted Dying

(New York: Putnam, 1995) 279 pages

This book should be read by everyone who plans a voluntary death
or who plans to help someone else in a voluntary death--doctors included.
It is a very careful guide for exploring all the dynamics associated
with choosing to die and helping others to end their lives.
Final Acts of Love is based on interviews with 140 different people,
who assisted in 160 voluntary deaths.
Only 10% of these were reported as suicides.
The rest were attributed to natural causes.
The helpers were usually not doctors, but family members and friends.

Here are several of the cautions raised in this comprehensive discussion:
1. Is the medical diagnosis and prognosis clear to all?
2. Have all the medical options been explored, tried, and then rejected?
3. Has a specialist in the disease given a second opinion?
4. Is the patient asking for better treatment
or for loving attention rather than death?
5. Is the patient's judgment impaired by the disease or the treatment?
6. Is the patient irrationally depressed or suicidal?
7. Is the decision to die caused by a medical crisis?
8. Is the patient being pressured or manipulated by others
for personal or financial reasons?
9. Is the patient manipulating others into helping
when the he or she could achieve a voluntary death without help?
10. Does the patient have an irrational fear of nursing homes?
11. How many people have been involved in discussing the proposed death?
12. How many independent people agree that death is the best option?
13. What impacts will this death have on other people?
14. Has the patient's wish to die persisted over time?
15. How long a waiting period would ensure that death is a wise decision?
16. What special measures will be needed to make the death
appear to be "from natural causes" or a "private suicide"?
17. How will the death be reported and registered?
18. What people will be present for this voluntary death?
19. What roles will each person take in the life-ending process?
20. Is one helper too enthusiastic about causing death?
21. What will the helpers do if the first method of death fails?
22. Has concern for secrecy and the details of dying
obscured the possible meanings that might be realized from this death?
23. If I plan to help some other person to die,
what are my own personal, ethical, philosophical, or religious views
about assisting a voluntary death?
24. What safeguards and limits would I put on my participation?
25. What will be the impacts on those who help with a voluntary death:
psychological, moral, professional, political, & legal?

If you would like to read other books about helping in the last days,
search the Internet for: "Best Books on Voluntary Death".

James Leonard Park, advocate of the right-to-die with careful safeguards.