Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Arguments for and Against

Author: (USA) Dworkin / Frey / Booke / Zha Xiaomei / Qiu Renzong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Whether the personal acts of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are moral and whether policies legalizing these acts are legitimate are hotly debated and hold diverse opinions in contemporary moral/social issues. The moral dilemma of physicians assisting patients in dying with dignity is a central concern for the medical community, bioethicists, and the general public. Compared to passive euthanasia, active euthanasia cases considered by physicians significantly intensify this debate. It is urgent to provide a detailed and clear exposition of the arguments from all sides of the debate.
Emerging in response to this need is the book Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide—Arguments for and Against, which collects the arguments of two outstanding American philosophers, Gerald Dworkin and R.G. Frey, and one of the most renowned bioethicists in the United States, Celia Booke, on their respective views supporting or opposing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide and their legalization.
By forcefully refuting the arguments of opponents, Gerald Z. Dworkin and R.G. Frey argue that in certain circumstances, it is morally permissible for physicians to provide knowledge and means for patients to end their own lives, and such acts should be legally permitted. On the other hand, Celia Booke, through her sequential exploration of suicide, euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide, argues that the legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide would pose significant social risks and would never fully meet the needs of terminally ill patients, especially in societies where not everyone has health insurance.
For anyone who reads this book, regardless of their stance on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, will be impressed by the rigor and sharpness of the arguments and counterarguments, gaining a deeper understanding of both sides of the issue and a more profound insight into euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.