Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: The Current Debate

Susan Massarella is a reference librarian at Laurentian University.

The underlying message of the essays that constitute this
thought-provoking collection on euthanasia and assisted suicide is that
“no one should be kept alive against his or her will, but by the same
token, no one has the right to require others to bring about death.”

Absent from the collection are essays written by strong supporters of
euthanasia and assisted suicide. The issue of ending the lives of
severely disabled, but not terminally ill, individuals (e.g., the Robert
and Tracy Latimer case) is also not addressed. What the book does is to
present views on euthanasia from medical, legal, and moral standpoints.
One chapter discusses the case of Sue Rodriguez, a 42-year-old British
Columbia woman suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who fought
to the level of the Supreme Court for the right to “be put to
death.” Another chapter looks at the Netherlands, where active
euthanasia has been tolerated for the past decade. In combination, the
essays make a powerful argument that Canadians should focus their
support in the areas of palliative care and pain management, thereby
enabling people to die with dignity.

As an important overview of the risks associated with legalized
euthanasia, this work is highly recommended for both public and
educational libraries.