The Case of Terri Schiavo: Ethics, Politics, and Death in the 21st Century

The case of Terri Schiavo, a young woman who spent 15 years in a persistent vegetative state, has emerged as a watershed in debates over end-of-life care. While many observers had thought the right to refuse medical treatment was well established, this case split a family, divided a nation, and counfounded physicians, legislators, and many of the people they treated or represented. In renewing debates over the importance of advance directives, the appropriate role of artificial hydration and nutrition, and the responsibilities of family members, the case also became one of history's most extensively litigated health care disputes. The Case of Terri Schiavo assembles a team of first-hand participants and content experts to provide thoughtful and nuanced analyses. In addition to a comprehensive overview, the book includes contributions by Ms. Schiavo's guardian ad litem, a neurologist and lawyer who participated in the case, and scholars who examine issues related to litigation,
faith, gender, and disability. The volume also includes a powerful dissent from the views of many scholars in the bioethics community. The book is intended for students, health care professionals, policy makers, and other in search of carefully reasoned analyses of the case that will shape our view of death and end-of-life medical care for decades.

Author: Kenneth Goodman
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 10/29/2009
Pages: 280
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.23lbs
Size: 9.59h x 6.51w x 0.95d
ISBN: 9780195399080

Review Citation(s):
Choice 12/01/2010

About the Author

Director, Bioethics Program, University of Miami

This title is not returnable