Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-229) and index.

Views on euthanasia and suicide from ancient Greece to the Middle Ages / by Michael M. Uhlmann -- Eurhanasia from the Renaissance throught the early twentieth century / by Derek Humphry and Ann Wickett -- The first euthanasia society in the United States / by Charles Francis Potter -- "Euthanasia" in Nazi Germany / by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum -- The euthanasia debate in the 1950s and 1960s / by Ian Dowbiggin -- The Quinlan Case establishes the right to have life support withdrawn / by Charles E. Hughes -- The law requires clear evidence of a patient's wish to forgo life-sustaining treatment / by William Rehnquist -- The Hemlock Society starts the movement to legalize assisted suicide / by Derek Humphry and Mary Clement -- The Supreme Court upholds a state's ban on assisted suicide / by William Rehnquist -- Assisted suicide could be legalized in the future / by Ronald Dworkin -- The continuing legal battle over physician-assisted suicide in Oregon / by Lawrence Rudden -- Assisted suicide is a transgression of divine sovereignty / by John J. Paris and Michael P. Moreland -- Assisted suicide does not violate the sanctity of life / by John Shelby Spong -- Legalized euthanasia in the Netherlands has resulted in many deaths without consent / by Herbert Hendin -- Physician-assisted suicide is morally justified / by Kenneth Cauthen -- Assisting in suicide is part of a physician's duty / by Jack Kevorkian -- Physician-assisted suicide subverts the role of doctors as healers / by Lonnie R. Bristow -- Patients need better end-of-life care rather than assisted suicide / by Kathleen Foley -- When palliative care fails, assisted suicide should be an option / by Timothy E. Quill.