The Dying Experience

This book examines when it is morally appropriate for medical intervention to hasten the dying process. The authors’ overriding goal is to humanize the dying process by expanding patient centered autonomous control.

Introduction / Part I: Death and Dying: History and Contemporary Issues / 1. A Brief History of Death and Dying / 2. Medical and Technological Issues regarding Death and Dying / 3. Brain Death / 4. Death and Dying: International Perspectives / 5. What is a good death? / 6. Physician and Patient Discussions of Death and Dying / Part II: Hospice and Palliative Care / 7. The Hospice and Palliative Care Movements / 8. Critical Analysis of the Hospice and Palliative Care Movements / Part III: On Hastening Death: Old and New Perspectives / 10. New Perspectives: Expanding the Options for Hastening Death / 11. Special Cases of Dementia and Degenerative diseases / 12. Drawing the line / 13. Concluding remarks