Your death warrant?: The implications of euthanasia; a medical, legal and ethical study [Hardcover]

Jonathan Gould & Lord Craigmyle. (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Arlington House; 1St Edition edition (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870002538
• ISBN-13: 978-0870002533
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 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: #4,000,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and Essential, September 30, 2011

By 

Pat Goltz "PatGoltz" (Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Your death warrant?: The implications of euthanasia; a medical, legal and ethical study (Hardcover)

Too bad this book is so difficult to get. The information in it is even more relevant today than it was when it was published. Things have gone from bad to worst. This book talks about "euthanasia" and what it will do to health care and society. The picture painted is frightening, but mild compared to what we seem to be facing. Do you want to know if your doctor came into your hospital room to care for you or to kill you? This book asks that question. How can you feel secure in the hospital if you don't know the answer? Many people who need care in a hospital are staying away because they know they might be killed against their will. It asks other very pertinent questions, and discusses the issues.

What if you decide while you are healthy, that you don't want to live as an invalid? What if, when you become disabled, you change your mind? Will you be able to communicate these wishes? Will they be honored? Or will they decide you are incompetent and ignore you? What if you cannot communicate, but you are fully aware of everything around you?

Since this book was published, they have come out with a legal document called a Living Will. This document actually grants health care personnel permission to kill you. They can do this by giving you an overdose of painkiller, or by labeling food and water "extraordinary medical care" that can be discontinued. We have already seen a few notorious cases where people who weren't dying were deliberately killed. I personally know of a family member and a close friend. The family member was 15 years ago, the close friend a few months ago. With the friend, they took a man who was still very much alive and alert, who happened to be in the hospital but was anxious to return home, and turned him into a person who was almost totally unresponsive, in a matter of hours. He was dead two days later. His family didn't protect him. We as friends were powerless to do so. Too many family members are being flummoxed, or have an incentive to "get rid of the burden", often an economic incentive. With new health care laws, this is going to go from thousands of victims a year to tens or hundreds of thousands. We've been down this road before. As they say, those who refuse to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. This book is thorough in considering the issues. EVERYONE should read it. It may be a matter of your own survival.