Chapter
Assisted Suicide and the Elderly (IN: Now I lay me Down: Suicide in the Elderly, edited by D Lester & M Tallmer)
Lester D
This chapter overviews assisted suicide in the USA, Germany & The Netherlands, notes recent USA court cases & trends, & discusses psychological & social issues as well as other issues pertinent to the elderly. In summary it notes that the growing acceptance of the right to refuse treatment & the mounting interest in assisted suicide raise the possibility that, rather than these actions becoming choices for the elderly, they may become demands placed upon the elderly by society. (27 Refs.)