Physician-Assisted Dying: The Case for Palliative Care and Patient Choice.

• Position: Brief Article - Book Review

Quill, Timothy E. & Margaret P. Battin, eds. Physician-Assisted Dying: The Case for Palliative Care and Patient Choice. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.

In this volume, physicians, ethicists, lawyers, and activists come together to present the case for the legalization of physician-assisted dying form terminally ill patients who voluntarily request it. To counter the arguments and assumptions of those opposed to legalization of assisted suicide, the contributors examine ethical arguments concerning self-determination and the relief of suffering; analyze empirical data from Oregon and the Netherlands; describe their personal experiences as physicians, family members, and patients; assess the legal and ethical responsibilities of the physician; and discuss the roles of pain, depression, faith and dignity in this decision...