Resource Tag: RIGHT TO DIE

Offers factual information about suicide, providing a brief history, discussing risk factors and mental disorders, addressing young victims and the right to die, and exploring suicide as a weapon, experiences of people left behind, and prevention.

Drawing on hundreds of in-depth interviews & a survey of current knowledge, the author provides case studies to offer insight into all aspects of suicide – its cultural history, the latest biological & psychological research, the possibilities of prevention, the complexities of the right-to-die movement, & the effects on survivors of suicide.

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Please see SIEC #2003-0344 for the article from “Scientific American”.

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This book argues for the judicial recognition of a constitutional right to suicide which would protect the right of the individual – at least under certain circumstances – to terminate his or her own existence.

Published in “Back to the Future: Refocusing the Image of Suicide,” ed. by J L McIntosh

This chapter clearly & categorically refutes the claims about assisted suicide & euthanasia that are seen almost constantly in the press. The authors review nine of the most common & most compelling arguments for legalizing physician-assisted suicide & demonstrate why these arguments are unpersuasive or misleading.

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In this article the author argues the importance of theoretical grounding for research into suicidal behaviors from the perspective of psychological science. He provides examples of this perspective from his own work, & discusses their implications for future research in the field. (49 refs)

In order to identify public attitudes towards suicide as a means of expanding the basis for prevention, the authors administered a Suicide Attitudes Questionnaire (SUIATT) to a representative sample of Slovenian citizens. 5.2% of respondents reported at least 1 previous suicide attempt & 21.6% reported suicidal ideation (SI). The results did not allow for a […]

This article represents a Jewish contribution to the “right-to-die” debate that currently characterizes medical ethics, & explores whether Judaism recognizes a right to die. 4 major Jewish assumptions regarding the nature of life & death form the foundation of the author’s argument that Judaism rejects a right to die & supports the prolonging of life […]

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This encyclopedia entry defines & examines assisted suicide. Critical differences between suicide & assisted suicide are discussed, as are the impact of advances in medical technology & the ethical debate surrounding the “right to die.” (6 refs)

The author reviews “Fixin’ to Die: A Compassionate Guide to Committing Suicide or Staying Alive,” by David Lester. He examines the contradictions apparent in the authoring of a ‘how-to’ guide by a suiciologist previously devoted to prevention, by exploring the effects of a personal crisis on Lester’s position. Though he finds the book challenging, the […]