euthanasia

From the opening lines, this story grips you with it's chilling premise of an American government that has easily slipped beyond allowing doctor-assisted suicides to imposing mandatory euthanasia on the "terminally ill", or mentally defective. Slick packaging has dulled public outrage, and blurred the lines of medical categories, but there are some who fight back when the death sentence becomes personal. How their lives interconnect, and how Christian faith and moral values direct their paths, are well-woven in this fictional account of resistance to what could be a true life situation in our not too-distant future. Janice Thompson has captured the essentials of the euthanasia arguement, and presented it in a fast-paced, suspense filled novel you don't want to miss reading.

This is a hauntingly accurate work of fiction. The author presents the premise of the elderly and infirm's "social responsibility" to participate (either voluntarily or by compulsion) in their own demise with compelling characters and smooth transitions in action. The story encourages the reader, not to suspend disbelief, but to become a believer in the power of social convenience over moral princple. As a pro-life supporter, it caused me to move beyond the realm of today's abortion issues into the horrifying possibility of legalized euthanasia. This work motivated me to reconsider my respect and passion for life, and to pursue a greater understanding of the social and political ramifications of "right to die" legislation. I recommend this book for everyone who has an opinion on the pro-life issue.

Janice Thompson writes a compelling story every concerned American and Christian should read. Her characters jump off the page and into the readers heart. She balances difficult subject matter with compassion. Will Ashley live or die? Will baby Jamie survive? Will the law of the land be changed? Does passion stand a chance against politics? You must turn the pages to find the answers! And remember...this book is not science fiction - it is fiction based on fact...look to Oregon, USA and to the Netherlands as well as the research Janice provides within the book...it is clear - if good men do nothing, evil will prevail. This book is a call to all good people - do something!

Henry Friedlander provides a compelling and accurate portrayal of the origins of the Holocaust in the elimination of the mentally ill and physically handicapped. He starts with a description of the origins of German theories of racial superiority based upon social Darwinism which began long before the Nazis came to power. Many German physicians believed that the handicapped were a burden to society and that one of Medicine's chief functions was to be merciful and weed out the lame and feeble and remove them, painlessly, of course. With the advent of National Socialism and coming to power of Adolf Hitler, these doctors willingly joined in the sterilization and euthanistic practices of the Master Race. Gypsies and Jews were the main groups selected but all handicapped were gathered up. The author describes in detail the frustrations experienced by these teutonic genetic warriors because they could not more efficiently kill and maim and remove the untermeunschen. This book is a nightmare which can happen again. The world still witnesses the open genocide of Central Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. While Hitler's bodily presence has been gone for 55 years, his philosophical dementia remains with us. This book is an excellent reminder of science misused and politicized.

As a Deaf person and an activist for the rights of the disabled in education and medical care, I was appalled to find out that the disabled were singled out for sterilization and euthanasia long before the Jews had been. I was even more upset that prior to medical school, I had never even heard of the willing collaboration of doctors and scientists in Germany with the Nazi political machine to rid their race of defective people (it didn't seem to matter when impairment began or how, or these people were educable and able to work). Not to ever dismiss the horror of the Jewish Holocaust and the amount of lives taken, but it is imperative that we remember and we teach that the slope leading to extermination of races began with the ideas of Social Darwinism, natural selection, and survival of the fittest, which were the scientific theories/beliefs used to justify the removal of anyone with a difference. This belief system still pervades society today, when someone like Kervorkian (who only worked with dead bodies) could take it upon himself to decide whether someone's life was of any worth, on the basis of 'normalcy'.

Henry Friedlander does an excellent job of writing and researching into the lives and minds of the doctors and administrators who ran the secret programs that killed first, German children who were born with disabilities, then led to the removal from schools and homes of older children with disabilities to meet their deaths through starvation and drugs, and finally to include adults with disabilities in mass murders. It was on these people that the Nazis perfected their instruments of genocide, and yet, even at Nurenburg their suffering was dismissed as "lives unworthy of life" just because of their disabilities.

This can happen again, especially with the completion of the human genome. NO laws have been suggested to curtail the use of information gleaned from the genome to prevent discrimination of any kind against the disabled. It is of great concern that the disabled community watch opponents of the Americans with Disabilities Act try to get this civil rights act revoked as being expensive, especially since it serves those who many (including Clint Eastwood apparently) feel are not productive members of society. The slippery slope begins at this point, and with these mindsets.

It is imperative that students of medicine and students of science be made to read this book. It is only through education and remembering the children and families whose lives were destroyed that we can avoid allowing this Medical Holocaust from ever happening again. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

From Euthanasia to Genocide is a very very small step. This book is the best and wisest on the subject. It illustrates exactly how easy it was for Nazis to use the American psuedo-science of "eugenics" to aclimate Germany to "life unworthy of life." How simple to use the idea of "mercy death" to rid society of "useless eaters." The members of T4 were ruthless in their quest to define and rid Nazi Germany of deformed infants, the mentally ill, the deaf, the old, the young, the indigent, the DIFFERENT. No marginalised group was safe.

Of the killing centers, Hadamar is the best known -- a hub, so to speak. Nobody really knows how many people were gassed there. The buses arrived like clockwork, on schedule... Day in; day out.

Significantly, there was little civilian protest until T4 moved on to private Christian instutions. The "euthenasia" program was halted "officially" after several churches protested the gassings of institutionalised patients. (Unofffically, the program went on until AFTER the end of the war!) The members of T4 were absorbed into the killing machine known as the Final Solution. Which, of course, was the goal all along....

I reread The Origins of Nazi Genocide periodically just to remind myself that ANYONE can be marginalised -- including me and thee.

This book is great and certainly not just for medical boffins. I almost felt guilty for being so entertained - almost. Quite literally couldn't put it down. What a great writer - I want him to do more and more and more please!

Bert Keizer has written this wonderfully reflective book for those of us who may not have the privilege of spending time in intimate contact with people aware that they are near the end of their life. I found it thouroughly enjoyable and truly inspiring. If you have any interest in medicine, euthanasia, bioethics or what it is to be mortal I warmly recommend that you read it. Congratulations Dr.Keizer.

This sardonic look at death and dying and the medical establishment by a Dutch M.D. who works in a nursing home is the best book I've read all summer. Very entertaining, funny, thought provoking and poignant. He talks about his feelings in helping terminally ill patients take their own lives. This doctor majored in philosophy as an undergraduate and ponders life's big questions in this slender volume.

At last there is a book that covers this contentious and complex topic in an easy-to-understand manner without over-simplification or devaluing the importance of the subject. Dr Keown has succeeded in writing a book that engages the reader with the issues involved, whilst ensuring that the non-expert is not left adrift. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone.

At last an easy-to-understand summary of the facts and opinions surrounding this contentious issue. Dr Keown presents the information in a manner accessible to non-experts without devaluing the accademic worth of the subject. I strongly recommend you buy this outstanding book.

At last there has been a book published which is not just well written, but also informative, interesting, topical and relevant. I would advise anybody with an interest in the subject to buy the book. You do not need to be an expert; all the information is presented in an easy-to-understand manner, without devaluing the accademic value of the book.

This book addresses the euthanasia debate from all sides including those less obvious - the book challenged me to think. It also gives clear definition and distinctions reinforced by the author's experience

Richard Gula's book is a concise, clear, and complete examination of the moral issue of Euthanasia. It deals with issues such as Autonomy and the Common Good. It was especially helpful to me as a care giver for a member of my family who was suffering and dying of cancer. It helped me to clarify the issues and to answer many of my questions and the questions of others in my family. More importantly, it motivated me to read the Word of God and to enter into a deeper prayer with the Lord. This book is easily understandable to the layman and also meets the needs for academic research. It is a book I have read more than once and will continue to read.

This was an excellent book that helped to clarify the issues related to hastening death and allowing to die from the Catholic perspective. One is euthansia and one is not. An important book to read for anyone considering a living will or dealing with issues of death and dying. Simple and concise.

Offering no soft, simple answers, this book gives a troubling look at many different views of dying in America. A necessary read for anyone interested in not just the spiritual side of dying, but the practical, political, difficult aspects of dying.

When I started reading books on dying (Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan, Patricia Kelley; The Grace in Dying by Kathleen Singh), I read books that gave me hope and comfort in dealing with my own mortality. This book made the hair on my neck rise up.

It begins by shattering illusions (the ones I'd built up) about having a pain-free, easy death. There are insurance companies, personal opinions, differing agendas of a variety of institutions that come into play.

In short, some people have an easier death than others. Webb writes in an easy to read, article style. She begins with a chapter called "Dying Easy", about the nearly beautiful, fairly comfortable death of Judith Hardin, who at 36 dies at home with her husband and children.

"Dying Hard," is based on Webb's personal interviews and experiences with the death of Peter Cicione. Cicione died a death more painful than it needed to be, largely due to medical staff's fears that this dying man was misusing morphine, might overdose or use so much medication that the drugs would no longer be effective (not true).

In "The Sorcerer's Apprenctice" and "When Death Becomes a Blessing," Webb focuses on the history of medical control of pain, the prolonging of life with new medical techniques and modern pain control through the works of Dr. Kathleen Foley, director of neurology pain service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Foley estimated that 5% of the patients she was seeing were "in unassuageable pain." Webb's conservative estimate offers that "109,500 people a year die with unrelieved suffering." Much of this is due to outdated information, old rules, and misunderstandings about how much medication a dying person in severe pain can and should get. She offers the possibility that terminally ill patients who want to commit suicide or look for assistance in dying might not do this, if their pain could be properly handled.

She has chapters about the legal conflicts for families who want comatose relatives off of life-support systems, with detailed information about Karen Quinlan and Nancy Cruzan's cases and the affects on their families long after these women died.

"Bearing the Burden" focuses on what happens to the lives of families with a terminally ill member - "The sad secret that many don't want to admit is that care at home, wonderful as it can be in helping a patient to a good death, is hard on families. Home care may allow for those close, intimate, late-night times with the dying family member...but there are also the difficult times: changing diapers, losing sleep or feeling intense anxiety because the patient is in pain or can't breath..."

This first half of the book is tough reading, but necessary - for there is still a lot of work to be done to make dying easier. The second half of the book deals with hospice; assisted dying (suicides); spirituality in dying.

She closes with 10 common factors 'good deaths' have - 1) open, ongoing communication with doctors, patients, families 2) preservation of the patient's decision-making powers for as long as possible 3) sophisticated pain control 4) limits on excessive treatment (medical interventions, per the patient) 5) focus on preserving the patient's quality of life 6) emotional support 7) financial support 8) family support 9) spiritual support 10) patient isn't abandoned by the medical staff even when curative treatment is no longer required.

She also has 10 changes, which she believes need to be made to change the culture of dying from a cold, hospital-set detachment to a family affair. These encompass everything from expanding health insurance to cover needs currently not met, to legalization of assisted suicide.

If you have given little thought to some of the darker sides of dying, focusing as I have on the spiritual and more uplifting side, this book offers a lot of food for thought. Well-written, easy to read, disturbing.

Even if you have different opinions than Webb has (about assisted suicide, for example), this book is a good read to investigate the other side's information and arguments.

"The Good Death" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

The Good Death provided me with information that everyone should know! If you have a loved one facing a trminal illness this is the book that you should read. I was especially grateful for the information about pain management, about what to expect, and to learn why we fail so often in this country to make people comfortable in their final days, how our "war on drugs" has tied the hands of doctors and resulted in dying patients being under medicated, often times grossly under medicated even hospices, and what you can do to insure that your loved on will not suffer.

When i first read this play i couldn't put it down. it made my understanding of the entire stiuation clearer. Reading it brings out emotions i never knew a play could bring out. It is definitly a master work.

This is trul a play worth raeding! It blends a beautiful artistic style with the harsh realities and controvery surrounding euthanasia! It is also a pleasure to perform this piece!

A great play. The sparse and nonrealistic language give it a mood that is both macabre and urgent. Having directed a sizable chunk of it for school, I can say that it is difficult to read but even more difficult NOT to.

An interesting book, probably unique in its kind. Dr Crippen is an intensive care specialist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who in 1996 started an international internet discussion group (CCM-L) to deal with many issues involving critically ill patients. More than 1,000 members have enrolled. This is exceptional in the sense that for the first time health care professionals and providers from all over the world were able to interact and exchange information and opinions in such a direct, facile, almost immediate way.

A fundamental problem - As the population ages and life may be "artificially" extended with the use of sophisticated and often expensive technical support, ICU availability and costs have become an issue of growing public importance and concern. Dr Crippen created three hypothetical patients and asked critical care providers from all over the globe to offer their comments on their management. The result is this remarkable book which is surprisingly easy to read despite the use of specialized terminology. Different perspectives based on different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds emerge as the reader proceeds. A physician from South Africa describes the huge demand for ICU beds and the limited availability. Physicians from India and Russia underline the importance of the patient's social and financial status and what impact this may have on future decisions related to hers/his critical care. A physician from the Netherlands describes the universal coverage health system available in his country and how the decision for further care rests primarily on the physician's medical judgment. A physician from Israel tries to achieve a balance between religious constraints and futile care. And at the end of the book, non-physician critical care providers contribute with vivid descriptions of pertinent cases and with their perception of futility. Among them, a hospital chaplain describes how she helps her patients deal with the fear of the incoming inevitable death by bringing them closer to a picture of a God who is love, mercy and compassion instead of fear, punishment and revenge.

It is evident throughout the book that one of the major issues shaping critical care costs and distribution in the USA is unlimited patient autonomy and overzealous litigation. Increased physician mistrust on behalf of the patients is stated as a major cause of this phenomenon. Whereas many physicians outside USA would assume a role conceived as paternalistic for the USA standards, patients in the USA are often offered a menu of available option regarding their future critical care treatment ("Mr. Jones, in case your breathing worsens do you want us to proceed with mechanical ventilation? In the event your heart stops, do you want us to start chest compressions?" and so on... )

Under the editing of Dr's Crippen, Kilcullen and Kelly a balance and an answer is sought. It is not an easy task but the team involved is one of the best international teams available. I highly recommend this book. It underlines once again the concept that a good question is often more important than the answer.

From Dr. Hoyt's chapter "Globalization of Critical Care"
"There is only one way to explain the birth of this book. That is CCM-L..., an electronic bulletin board that is devoted to critical care medicine), and Dr. David Crippen, one of the book's editors. An avowed nonconformist and refugee from the 1960's, Dr. Crippen has connected intensive care unit (ICU) physicians from around the world by means of the Internet. He has singlehandedly, without commercial sponsorship, woven a network of international intensivists. Nothing like this has ever occurred before. All readers of this book are being treated to a unique experience."

I might add a historical irony. One of Dr. Crippen's ancestors was Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen. This man was the first criminal to be arrested in 1910 via the use of wireless technology. The earlier Dr. Crippen had murdered and disposed of his wife, then sought escape by going on an ocean liner with his mistress (disguised as his 12 yr. old son). The Captain grew suspicious (he saw the "father and son" holding hands and appearing amorous) and wired back to shore. This then led to a spectacular arrest as a member of Scotland Yard traveled on a faster ship and arrived in time to board and arrest Dr. Hawley Crippen. The papers at the time had a field day and this case was part of the "inspiration" for the Alfred Hitchcock film "Rear Window" starring James Stewart, Gene Kelly, and Raymond Burr. Now at the turn of another century we have yet another Dr. Crippen again making history via the use of a new "wireless" technology-- the internet. And the issue of death is involved. But instead of the sensational and criminal death of one person, we have the issue of death and dying in ICU's all over the world.
The four issues interwoven and discussed throughout the book are 1) patient autonomy, 2) beneficence (providing benefit), 3) nonmaleficence (doing no harm), and 4) distributive justice. Does patient autonomy imply not only the right to refuse treatment, but also to insist upon whatever aggressive therapies they may desire (and may have looked up on the internet)? Could we provide more benefit by trying to ease suffering during the end of life as opposed to prolonging life by a matter of days to weeks? To what extent do patients, on the surface appearing calm and sedated, actually suffer as we apply futile resuscitation efforts in their last days? If we are to formally apply some legal formula for the just distribution of critical care resources, is this a decision best left for medical professionals? Or is it a political and ethical decision for the public at large? Those looking for easy and short answers to these questions will be disappointed with this book. Many of the chapter's authors take divergent viewpoints.
What I found interesting was how several authors pointed to a historical trend in the USA. In the old fee-for-service era, when all provided technology and service was very lucractively billed, it was the families whom were going to court to have futile life support terminated. Now, in the new era DRG's, capitation & shrinking reimbursement, it is the hospitals and MD's whom are seeking to legally no longer provide futile care. This seems to imply that there has always been an economic foundation as to the determination of what constitutes "futile care". If we are discussing the compassionate and just application of medical technology and service then "futile care" may be seen as one thing. If we are talking about the provision of billable medical services then "futile care" may be seen as quite something else.
If this book has any one failing in my opinion it is that the issue of Palliative Care isn't addressed adequately. I feel this issue warranted a full chapter at least. While "palliative care" was mentioned in passing by several contributors, a more in depth look at the international differences would have been quite revealing. In many countries Palliative Care is it's own specialty. "Doing everything" is usually meant to do everything in regards to prolonging life, not doing everything to ensure a good death-per many of our default biases. Indeed a recent SCCM pamphlet I received in the mail, titled "ICU, Issues and Answers" and meant for family members of ICU patients, answers the question ""What is meant by 'doing everything' with the following.
"'Doing everything' implies tht any and all appropriate therapies will be utilized in order to preserve life." The pamphlet goes on to describe how MD's aren't required to offer therapies that would be medically ineffective. But what if we expanded our definition of "doing everything" to include effective and compassionate end of life care. That care may not be "critical" in the technological sense, but certainly it is "intensive" from the standpoint of patient need and clinician time, energy, and professionalism.

One chapter is by an RT and is titled "Advanced Medical Technology and End of Life, A Respiratory Care Practitioner's Perspective by David Walker, MA RRT. Mr. Walker eloquently describes a "day in the life" of a Respiratory Therapist.
Another chapter is titled "End of Life Care in the Intensive Care Unit" by Gabriele Ford CCRN. Ms Ford paints a rather disturbing picture of what it is like to oversee the provision of futile care.

This is one of the most interesting and riveting books I've read in a while. It is a book which deserves to be both read over again as well as passed around. No ready-made solutions pop out of the book, but I assure you that your cerebral matter will be quite stimulated.

For all the information packed into this book, it reads like a rich and compelling narrative rather than a stuffy textbook. Care plans for three critically ill patients are debated by a diverse panel of experts from around the globe. The debate is lively and energetic, engaging and candid. Geared for anyone with an interest in healthcare, it goes beyond clinical medicine to consider ethics, the law, and the three individuals behind the Three Patients.

This is probably the best book on the subject that I've seen. It doesn't just dogmatically take a stand, but expreses a real understanding of the various positions that have been taken within the Christian tradition and explains their strengths and weaknesses. If you don't have much background in this area, this book is for you, and if you are a scholar in this area, you can still learn from this book. I highly recommend it.

I have read a variety of books on this topic and must say that this is the best resource I've seen, not just for Christians, but for those of any or no religious belief. It looks at the full range of Christian and secular arguments for and against assisted suicide and euthansia, as well as a middle position. Moreover, it goes on to challenge readers to move beyond simplistic solutions and to emerge with a view they can support in good conscience. It includes reflections on the role of physicians at the end of life, ways in which to limit technology, and whether upholding the sanctity of life requires Christians to extend it for as long as possible.

There's a reason Dr. Peck is one of my favorite authors, and this book once more demonstrates why. Denial of the Soul is a brave and important book that carefully and objectively explores the entire issue of euthanasia from both a medical and spiritual standpoint. Frequently touching and always well reasoned, once again he has produced a masterpiece that should give the thoughtful reason plenty to digest as he or she struggles to decide for themselves how they feel about the idea of terminating a human life-especially their own. This is much more than simply a book about the pros and cons of "pulling the plug" on the terminally ill, but explores a whole range of questions regarding hospice care, suicide and mercy killing, doctor assisted euthanasia, pain management, and quality of life issues (his chapter on pain management alone should be required reading for every first year medical student and nurse trainee.) His spiritual perspective on the issue-which he covers in some depth in the second half of the book-is more subjective and problematic, but he does manage to successfully bring God into the debate, for which I consider him among the bravest of medical professionals. His no-nonsense approach and personal antidotes make this one of those books you'll be thinking about long after you've read the last words.

As is true of all of Peck's books, however, I found myself enthusiastically agreeing with 95% of everything he wrote and vehemently disagreeing with the remaining 5%. He approaches the spiritual aspect of the debate from a purely liberal Christian perspective (and the political elements of it from a similar perspective) and so makes some statements that I couldn't help but challenge. For example, he considers the purpose of life to experience the emotional and physical pain necessary to mature us spiritually and, hence, considers any effort to end ones own life an attempt to short-circuit the process. He considers the dying process to be an important part of the learning process and gives many examples from his personal experiences that show the positive results of doing the "hard work" involved in dying. However, he admits himself that many people-in fact, perhaps most-seem to gain nothing from the experience and leave this world kicking and screaming, seemingly challenging the notion that the process of dying is inherently useful as a tool of spiritual growth. Also, his contention that the soul "belongs" to God since he is its creator not only clearly betrays his thoroughly Christian perspective, but is unsubstantiated by anything more than his own assumption. I was a co-creator in the creation of my sons but I never considered them my property because of it. As a consequence, I don't follow his logic in this regard.

My only significant criticism of the book is the ending, in which he seems to waffle all over the place. After 200 pages of building his case, I was disappointed to see him retreat with the excuse that he was going to let the reader decide for themselves on the issue, but then I guess that's the point of any work of this nature. The decision when and how to end one's own life is a personal choice that can be made only by those who find themselves in that situation. It can't be made by religion or government or even by science, and that, after all, is the truth of all life. Peck gives us something to think about, but we must ultimately make the final decision which is, I suspect, exactly the way God wants us to play it. In any case, thank you Dr. Peck for another little gem of light to help us illuminate an otherwise horribly confused world.

Do you fear death or the dying process? This book will address that. Are you young and in relatively good health, and have a hard time feeling compassion on people who are older and/or less agile? This book can increase your compassion and patience. Are you entering the last few years of your life and want to "finish well"? This book can help you do that. This book is for everyone; because everyone will deal with death and dying in their life. Denial of the Soul demonstrates Peck's medical knowlege combined with his understanding of people and how we deal with and fear physical pain, and this book forces its reader to think about their own mortality, grapple with it, and hopefully come to accept it. Peck shows that death isn't something to live in fear of, but that the dying process is a beautiful way to learn how to depend on other people and on God--and that the dying process doesn't have to be wrought with physical pain. It's really worth it for everyone to read this book at some point, and I would agree with the other reviewers that it should be sooner rather than later.

This book addresses the question of euthanasia in America. It presents the spiritual issues surrounding death and life - issues which the Peck feels are not fully considered when considering euthanasia.

He distinguishes between pain and suffering - how pain can and should be alleviated, and why it should not be the cause of seeking a quick death.

His book is important for those who will face death, either themselves or in others. It is a brave attempt to clear the conflict regarding euthanasia.