Description
Book SynopsisAre you alive? Most people believe that some law defines our status as living (or not) for all purposes. But Foley shows that “not being dead” isn’t necessarily the same as being alive, in the eyes of the law. The need for more organ transplants and conservation of health care resources is exerting pressure to expand the legal definition of death.
Trade ReviewFoley’s book is essentially a primer or textbook on these legal issues of life and death, suitable for ethicists interested in learning about the law and for lawyers interested in learning about ethics… Foley ably lays out the moral arguments and legal disputes, and persuasively criticizes poorly reasoned judicial opinions. -- Eric Posner * New Republic online *
Foley presents a profoundly intelligent, distinctive, and disturbing book. In seven short chapters, she dissects the legality behind what makes a person alive or dead… This work will be appreciated by legislators, serious readers, and legal and medical professionals. -- Harry Charles * Library Journal *
Elizabeth Price Foley takes us on an agile and insightful romp through the briar patch of state and federal laws governing medical practice at the beginning and end of life. American politics is mired in legal debates over the limits of life and death practices, including embryo research, abortion, transplantation, treatment termination, suicide, and, most recently, ‘death panels.’
The Law of Life and Death deserves close attention from anyone trying to understand why lawyers have more influence than physicians on birth and death. -- George J. Annas, author of
Worst Case Bioethics
