Chapter 5 Suggested Readings and Media Resouces

T. E. Quill, “Doctor, I Want to Die. Will You Help Me?” Journal of the American Medical Association 270, no. 7 (1993): 870–73.

E. D. Pellegrino, “Compassion Needs Reason Too,” Journal of the American Medical Association 270, no. 7 (1993): 874–75.

John Arras, “Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Tragic View,” Journal of Contemporary Health Law Policy 13, no. 2 (Spring 1997): 361–89.

Documentary Video: One Brief Life: The Baby L Case
A poignant story of a case involving decisions about withdrawing medical treatment from a newborn baby with a terminal illness. This video raises questions about the importance of quality-of-life criteria, the distinction between withholding and withdrawing treatment, and the complexities of surrogate decision making

Documentary Video: Please Let Me Die
Interview with Dax Cowart, who was being kept alive against his wishes after suffering severe and disabling burns in a gas-leak accident. Confronts students with a strong conflict between patient autonomy and beneficence/nonmaleficence (NB: some scenes are graphic)