New Directions in the Ethics of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

by Michael Cholbi (Editor), Jukka Varelius (Editor)

Overview

This book provides novel perspectives on the ethical justifiability of assisted dying. Seeking to go beyond traditional debates on topics such as the value of human life and questions surrounding intention and causation, this volume promises to shift the terrain of the ethical debates about assisted dying. It reconsiders the role of patient autonomy and paternalistic reasons as well as the part proposed for medical professionals and clinical ethics consultation in connection with assisted dying, relates the debate on assisted dying to questions about organ-donation and developments in medical technology, and demonstrates the significance of experimental philosophy in assessing questions of assisted dying. This book is ideal for advanced courses in bioethics and health care ethics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319371450
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	10/22/2016
Series:	International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine , #64
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2015
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Michael Cholbi is an ethicist who has written on such topics as suicide, punishment, Kantian ethics, paternalism, and moral motivation. In addition to his book Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions, he has published in journals such as Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Philosophical Studies, Bioethics, Law and Philosophy, The Journal of Moral Philosophy, The Journal of Applied Philosophy, Philosophical Psychology, Ratio, Social Theory and Practice, and Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. Jukka Varelius is a philosopher whose work focuses on questions of moral philosophy and applied ethics. He has written on topics such as physician assisted death, individual autonomy, informed consent, advance directives, the nature of mental and physical health, and ethical expertise in journals like Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Neuroethics, Bioethics, Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, Journal of Applied Philosophy, The Journal of Value Inquiry, and Journal of Medicine and Philosophy.Varelius is also a co-editor of Adaptation and Autonomy: Adaptive Preferences in Enhancing and Ending Life (Springer, 2013).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Assisted Dying and the Proper Role of Patient Autonomy (Emma C. Bullock).- Chapter 2. Preventing Assistance to Die: Assessing Indirect Paternalism Regarding Voluntary Active Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide (Thomas Schramme).- Chapter 3. Autonomy, Interests, Justice and Active Medical Euthanasia (Julian Savulescu).- Chapter 4. Mental Illness, Lack of Autonomy, and Physician-Assisted Death (Jukka Varelius).- Chapter 5. Assisted Dying for Individuals with Dementia: Challenges for Translating Ethical Positions into Law (Jocelyn Downie).- Chapter 6. Clinical Ethics Consultation and Physician Assisted Suicide (David M. Adams).- Chapter 7. License to Kill: A New Model for Excusing Medically Assisted Dying? (Richard Huxtable).- Chapter 8. Saving Lives with Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Organ Donation After Assisted Dying (David M. Shaw).- Chapter 9. Everyday Attitudes About Euthanasia and the Slippery Slope Argument (Adam Feltz).- Chapter 10. “You Got Me Into This...”: Procreative Responsibility and Its Implications for Suicide and Euthanasia (Rivka Weinberg).- Chapter 11. Due Care in the Context of Euthanasia Requests by Persons with Psychiatric Illness: Lessons from a Recent Criminal Trial in Belgium (Marc De Hert).- Chapter 12. Medical Futility and Assisted Dying (Nancy S. Jecker).- Chapter 13. Medical Aid in Dying: The Case of Disability (Christopher A. Riddle).- Chapter 14. A Feminist Approach to Medical Aid in Dying: Identifying a Path Forward (Jennifer A. Parks).- Chapter 15. Envisioning Markets in Assisted Dying (Michael Cholbi).- Chapter 16. Robots, AI, and Assisted Dying: Ethical and Philosophical Considerations (Ryan Tonkens).- Chapter 17. Dying to Live: Transhumanism, Cryonics, and Euthanasia (Adam Buben).- Chapter 18. When is Self-perceived Burden an Acceptable Reason to Hasten Death? (Michael Gill).

Editorial Reviews

This book compiles information from the vast literature on euthanasia and elicits four general themes found in current and past arguments for and against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. … intended for scholars in disciplines contributing to the literature on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, including medical professionals, ethicists, philosophers, theologians, and legal scholars. … a unique contribution to the field in that it provides a structure that scholars can use to review the literature addressing physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.” (Tyler Zahrli, Doody's Book Reviews, March, 2016)

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Tyler Zahrli, MA (Saint Louis University)
Description: This book compiles information from the vast literature on euthanasia and elicits four general themes found in current and past arguments for and against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Purpose: The purpose is to describe four main threads in current debates previously laid out in the literature which address physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. This is a worthy objective because of the daunting amount of literature from many different disciplines addressing these topics; simplification is important and welcome in this context. The book describes the four themes and then applies the theme-list to certain mainstream arguments related to physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia through which the authors complete their important objective.
Audience: This book is intended for scholars in disciplines contributing to the literature on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, including medical professionals, ethicists, philosophers, theologians, and legal scholars.
Features: The book describes and applies four themes of argumentation from the multiple disciplines addressing these concerns. The four themes include moral norms in the medical profession, involvement in bringing about another person's death, principalism-based accounts, and predicted consequences of acceptance of physician-assisted suicide. The first half of the book elucidates these four themes, and the second half applies the themes to common arguments in the literature. Each essay includes references at the end of the chapter. There is no index.
Assessment: This is a unique contribution to the field in that it provides a structure that scholars can use to review the literature addressing physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. The book also provides arguments from both sides of the debate from many viewpoints (i.e., medical professionals, ethicists, philosophers), which also serve as a unique and detailed overview of the topic.

Doody's Review Service