Death Rites: Law and Ethics at the End of Life

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 3
Copyright......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
List of contributors......Page 7
Preface......Page 10
1 Against the definition of brainstem death......Page 18
The logic of ‘criticality’......Page 21
The significance of the spontaneously beating heart......Page 22
Implications......Page 25
NOTES......Page 26
THE FACTS......Page 28
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATE?......Page 29
NANCY’S VIEWS......Page 30
THE MISSOURI DECISION......Page 31
THE APPEAL TO THE US SUPREME COURT......Page 32
THE DISTINCTION: ORDINARY/EXTRAORDINARY MEANS......Page 34
THE PATIENT’S INTEREST......Page 35
IS THERE A RIGHT IN A COMPETENT PATIENT TO REFUSE TREATMENT?......Page 36
FINALITY AND MEDICAL MIRACLES......Page 38
THE FAMILY......Page 39
STANDARD OF PROOF......Page 41
WHAT’S LEFT FOR THE UNITED STATES?......Page 43
ENGLAND AND WALES......Page 44
THE EUROPEAN DIMENSION......Page 46
A MODEST PROPOSAL......Page 47
NOTES......Page 48
3 Power over death: the final sting......Page 54
THE RIGHT TO DIE IN ENGLISH LAW......Page 56
ADVANCE DECLARATIONS......Page 58
Scope......Page 59
Abuse......Page 60
Effects......Page 61
Duration......Page 62
English law......Page 64
PROXY CONSENT......Page 65
CONCLUSION......Page 66
NOTES......Page 67
4 Corpses, recycling and therapeutic purposes......Page 72
What counts as a corpse?......Page 73
What counts as therapeutic?......Page 74
Consequentialism......Page 75
Autonomy......Page 77
Rights......Page 78
Religion......Page 80
Language......Page 81
Concentration camp victims......Page 82
Foetuses......Page 83
Brains and personal identity......Page 85
Ovaries......Page 86
NOTES......Page 87
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE......Page 90
UNIVERSAL CPR?......Page 93
HARMS AND CPR......Page 94
The patient’s wishes......Page 96
Quality of life......Page 99
Futility......Page 101
NOTES......Page 104
INTRODUCTION: SERIOUS RATIONING AND THE INTENSIVE-CARE UNIT......Page 110
SCARCITY, SORTING AND PATIENT ABANDONMENT......Page 112
THE IDEAL OF IMPARTIALITY: THE MORAL ‘COP OUT’......Page 113
OBJECTION AND CONCLUDING WORD......Page 117
NOTES......Page 118
INTRODUCTION......Page 122
THE VISION......Page 123
Hospices as a radical critique of postwar terminal care......Page 124
Vision—the early phase......Page 128
Presentation of ‘the vision’......Page 130
New schemes, new teams......Page 131
Diversification and legitimation......Page 133
Accountable money......Page 135
THE TENSIONS OF SUCCESS......Page 137
Challenge from within......Page 138
Adapting to the status quo......Page 140
THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE?......Page 143
NOTES......Page 145
INTRODUCTION......Page 150
THE REALITY OF MEDICAL PRACTICE......Page 152
THE LEGAL PROTECTION AFFORDED TO ANIMALS......Page 159
STRATEGIES FOR ENDING ANIMAL ABUSE......Page 162
THE FOSTERING OF MORAL CONCERN......Page 177
CONCLUSION......Page 179
NOTES......Page 183
9 Tailoring multiparity: the dilemmas surrounding death by selective reduction of pregnancy......Page 194
HOW COMMON ARE MULTIPLE BIRTHS?......Page 197
NEW HORIZONS IN HUMAN CONCEPTION......Page 198
Multiple egg and embryo transfer......Page 200
HOW MANY IS TOO MANY?......Page 202
SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES: QUALITY OF LIFE......Page 204
TAILORING MULTIPARITY......Page 205
THE EXPERIENCE OF SELECTIVE REDUCTION......Page 207
WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE?......Page 208
NOTES......Page 210
10 Disasters: the role of institutional responses in shaping public perceptions of death......Page 214
CORONERS AND INQUESTS......Page 216
JURIES AND INQUESTS......Page 217
INQUIRIES, PROSECUTIONS AND INQUESTS......Page 220
LEGAL CONSTRUCTIONS......Page 225
DEATH RITES OR DEATH DUES......Page 230
APPENDIX......Page 232
NOTES......Page 233
DEATH CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH......Page 240
SURVIVORS AND SENTIMENTAL DAMAGES......Page 242
SYMBOLISM AND THE NATURAL ORDER OF DYING......Page 243
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?......Page 245
AFTER SENTIMENT......Page 247
COMPENSATING HARM AFTER DEATH......Page 249
The class of persons......Page 252
Proximity and the aftermath doctrine......Page 255
Proximity and the television......Page 256
NOTES......Page 259
12 Risking death by dangerous sexual behaviour and the criminal law......Page 270
Assaults......Page 271
Nature of the harm caused......Page 272
Methods of causing harm......Page 273
Rape and procuring sexual intercourse by false pretences......Page 274
Endangering life or injuring another by administering a destructive or noxious thing under sections 23 and 24 of the…......Page 275
Where the victim is aware of the defendant’s infectious condition and consents to sexual contact with this knowledge......Page 276
PUBLIC INTEREST, PROSECUTORIAL POLICY AND CRIMINAL SANCTIONS......Page 277
OUTLINE PROPOSALS FOR NEW OFFENCES OF ENDANGERING ANOTHER’S HEALTH THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION OR ATTEMPTED TRANSMISSION OF…......Page 281
Endangering behaviour......Page 282
Mental culpability......Page 283
The relevance of consent and prophylactic action......Page 285
Public health regulations and criminal penalties......Page 286
CONCLUSIONS......Page 287
NOTES......Page 288
13 Deathly silence: doctors’ duty to disclose dangers of death......Page 298
LEGAL CONTEXTS OF CONFIDENTIALITY......Page 299
BALANCING INTERESTS......Page 301
DANGEROUS PATIENTS......Page 304
DUTIES TO OTHERS......Page 310
CONCLUSION......Page 317
NOTES......Page 318
Index......Page 322