Product Description

Recipient of an Honourable Mention in the 2001 God Uses Ink Contest!Patrick is dying a slow, agonizing death. He wants his friend, Dr. Ron Grey, to help him--but not to get better. Instead, Patrick wants Ron to help him end his suffering by ending his life.This is the premise of a story that Paul Chamberlain employs to reveal the ethical and emotional complexities of a movement that is gaining supporters daily. It is a story that sends Ron Grey on a difficult journey across a continent and through a minefield of conflicting ideas and values.Should people have a legal right to choose the time of their death? Can adequate safeguards be employed to protect the public from potential abuses of physician-assisted suicide laws? What does it mean for people to die with dignity? Will people feel an obligation not to burden their families with their prolonged illness? What has been the experience in the Netherlands, which has had a physician-assisted suicide law for over twenty-five years? What about the possibility of misdiagnosis? Is there a legitimate public interest in what appears to be a purely private act? Can morality be legislated at all?Paul Chamberlain considers all of these vital issues clearly and carefully. Yet as we move through the legal, political, medical and ethical questions, he also helps us to see the personal side of these topics played out in the context of a caring family and a deep friendship. Here is a timely and helpful book on one of the most controversial concerns of our day.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #976805 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 215 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Dr. Ron Grey faces a dilemma. His good friend Patrick has been diagnosed with a fatal degenerative disease. When Patrick asks Ron to help him die peacefully and painlessly, Ron searches his mind, soul and spirit for answers. Ron starts his journey by attending Illinois Senate hearings where opponents and proponents debate the possible legalization of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Ron soon learns that he is mired within the legal and political aspects of PAS as well as having to contend with the medical and ethical repercussions. While recounting this narrative, author Chamberlain takes readers on a thought-provoking, emotional journey through the many facets of PAS, presenting the basic arguments for and against this unorthodox medical proposal. As Ron discovers, persuasive reasons are found in both camps. "If PAS is illegal," the proponents ask, "aren't we treating animals more 'humanely' than we treat humans?" They also argue that "botched suicide attempts" will occur if legalization doesn't pass. Opponents contend that "PAS invites other, tragic, practices," placing physicians on a slippery ethical slope. "Legalizing PAS results in the devaluing of disabled and ill people," they claim, adding that legalization may also result in "misdiagnoses leading to suicide requests by people who are not terminally ill." Chamberlain addresses difficult, disturbing questions with an objectivity tempered by compassion. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Moody Magazine, Sept./Oct. 2000
Deals honestly, compassionately, and intelligently with the controversial topic of physician-assisted suicide and introduces deep ethical questions.