At last, we as a society are beginning to talk about death or at least to appreciate the need to come to terms with it, so that we may confront and accept it. At the same time, modern medicine and its technologies, which can postpone or suspend dying, create another set of questions. Our laws, beliefs, science, history, myths, and the way our social and political culture is organized--all of these reflect and have a bearing on how we approach the subject.

The essays in this book examine death, dying, assisted death, and euthanasia from a number of perspectives. They are not exhaustive, but they explore some of the wide-range of opinions, deeply held ethical beliefs, fears about death and loss of control over oneself, and questions about compassion and the value and dignity of human life.

Leading Australian and overseas thinkers present a variety of theological, ethical, and medical perspectives to provide a balanced and challenging view of complex issues.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: DEATH IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
CHAPTER 1: Easeful death: Culture and medicine in the debate on death, dying and euthanasia - John Morgan
CHAPTER 2: Look not at the sun or death: Reflections on death, dying and euthanasia - Davis McCaughey

PART TWO: HOW SHALL WE DIE?
CHAPTER 3: What is a good death? A doctor's view - Alison A Holloway
CHAPTER 4: Care of the dying: A nurse's perspective - Elizabeth White
CHAPTER 5: Death and the future - Deirdre Gardiner
CHAPTER 6: Hope in dying: Palliative care and a good death - Ian Maddocks

PART THREE: LETTING SOME PEOPLE DIE AND EUTHANSIA CONSIDERED
CHAPTER 7: Distracters in the contemporary debate on euthanasia - Brian Pollard
CHAPTER 8: Live and let die - Raymond Hoffenburg
CHAPTER 9: Valuing the vulnerable: Suicide, murder and euthanasia - David Brown
CHAPTER 10: Some scepticism about active euthanasia and assisted suicide - William F. May

PART FOUR: DYING AND EUTHANASIA IN A TIME OF SCARCE RESOURCES
CHAPTER 11: The sanctity of life and resource allocation: Voluntarism, coercion and the common good - Malcolm Parker
CHAPTER 12: Autonomy, resources and the sanctity of life - W.J. Uren

PART FIVE: REGULATING DEATH AND EUTHANASIA
CHAPTER 13: Euthanasia and withdrawal of treatment: Legal perspectives - Brian Bartley
CHAPTER 14: Legislation, ethics and social policy: The case of "dying with dignity" - Don Stewart
CHAPTER 15: The tragic truth about Dutch death - John Keown

EPILOGUE: The enigma of death - Alastair V. Campbell

APPENDIX 1: Commonwealth: Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996
APPENDIX 2: Victoria: Medical Treatment Act 1988
APPENDIX 3: South Australia: Consent to Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995
APPENDIX 4: Northern Territory: Rights of the Terminally Ill Act