At Liberty to Die

"Ball's arguments are concise, compelling, and backed with considerable case law. This volume is highly recommended for upper-level undergraduates and above in law, philosophy, and the medical humanities interested in the 'right to die' debates. Summing up: Highly recommended." —ChoiceOver thepast hundred years, average life expectancy in America has nearly doubled, duelargely to scientific and medical advances, but also as a consequence of saferworking conditions, a heightened awareness of the importance of diet andhealth, and other factors. Yet while longevity is celebrated as an achievementin modern civilization, the longer people live, the more likely they are tosuccumb to chronic, terminal illnesses. In 1900, the average life expectancywas 47 years, with a majority of American deaths attributed to influenza, tuberculosis,pneumonia, or other diseases. In 2000, the average life expectancy was nearly80 years, and for too many people, these long lifespans included cancer, heartfailure, Lou Gehrig’s disease, AIDS, or other fatal illnesses, and with them,came debilitating pain and the loss of a once-full and often independentlifestyle. In this compelling and provocative book, noted legal scholar HowardBall poses the pressing question: is it appropriate, legally and ethically, fora competent individual to have the liberty to decide how and when to die whenfaced with a terminal illness?At Liberty to Die charts how, the rightof a competent, terminally ill person to die on his or her own terms with thehelp of a doctor has come deeply embroiled in debates about the relationshipbetween religion, civil liberties, politics, and law in American life.Exploring both the legal rulings and the media frenzies that accompanied theTerry Schiavo case and others like it, Howard Ball contends that despite ragingbattles in all the states where right to die legislation has been proposed, theopposition to the right to die is intractable in its stance. Combiningconstitutional analysis, legal history, and current events, Ball surveys theconstitutional arguments that have driven the right to die debate.

A comprehensive and engaging history of the legal and political battles in courts and legislatures to recognize terminally-ill individuals' 'right to die with dignity.' A timely and informed contribution to an important and growing debate., Comprehensive, thoroughly engrossing, surprisingly balanced! At Liberty to Die is certain to become the definitive history of the wrenching debate over physician assisted death. Highly recommended!, In his recently published book, Howard Ball does a superb job of documenting and explaining the key legal principles that frame the right-to-die debate in the United States.At Liberty to Die: The Battle for Death with Dignity in America illustrates clearly that jurisprudential matters are Ball's strong suit, and he plays his cards well, touching on all the key court cases while also covering the battles to enact right-to-die legislation in several states. The writing is crisp; the key points of disagreement are clearly laid out, the coverage is both balanced and comprehensive, and the context of the legal maneuvering provided by Ball throughout make his book an interesting as well as an educational read., Professor Ball provides an informative, thoughtful, and well-documented analysis...deftly set against a portrayal of the changing nature of death and dying in Americaespecially the locus of death and its attendant circumstancesa back story that is essential for understanding the impetus undergirding rights claims during this period., In this valuable presentation of a large, important topic, Howard Ball skillfully narrates the history of the key cases and the legal, medical and political developments in a fast-moving process.

Howard Ball is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and University Scholar at the University of Vermont and Adjunct Professor of Law at Vermont Law School.