Hospice or Hemlock: Searching for Heroic Compassion

(Hardback)

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This guide introduces general readers to people with personal stakes in the right-to-die conundrum. End-of-life decision-making is often viewed from an academic perspective, which can obscure the debate's central human concerns. This guide introduces general readers to people with personal stakes in the right-to-die conundrum. Putnam provides practical assistance to readers and their loved ones, simultaneously incorporating the abstract and theoretical analysis essential to examining how we die in contemporary Western society. She also presents the backgrounds of the Hospice and Right-to-Die ("Hemlock") Movements. To elucidate the human side of the debate, Putnam profiles and interviews six important figures: Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern Hospice Movement; Derek Humphry, founder of The Hemlock Society in the U.S.; Herbert Cohen, an early leader in euthanasia circles in The Netherlands; Timothy Quill, whose assistance in a patient suicide resulted in a casebefore the U.S. Supreme Court; Joanne Lynn, founder of Americans for Better Care for the Dying; Jack Kovorkian (profiled, but unavailable for interview); Another unique feature of this book is the application of philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson's general theory of rights to the very specific right to die. Pointing to potential compatibilities between the two positions, she concludes that heroic compassion does not require a final choice between Hospice and Hemlock--there may be room enough for both.

Reviews

"A 'natural death, ' unencumbered by medical choices and interventions, is a rarity in our world. It is in this context that the choice posed by Constance Putnam in her new book, Hospice or Hemlock, takes on a particular poignancy. [Putnam's book is] important reading for those on both sides of the debate who are struggling with the potential compatibility of 'hospice' and 'hemlock.'. . . The outstanding mix of sophisticated, well-researched thought and practical insight should make her book of interest both to scholars and to practitioners in the field of end-of-life care, as well as to laypersons who have struggled with these questions in their own lives."-From the Foreword by Timothy E. Quill, M.D. Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry, and Medical Humanities University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
"Constance Putnam has presented a thorough study of approaches to dying which need to be discussed more openly, both in health care settings and at home. Avoiding talk about the universal experience of dying only adds to stress and pain when decisions need to be made. In order to make choices that are most appropriate for ourselves and people close to us, we need as much information as possible. Constance Putnam has provided this, not only on a conceptual basis, but by presenting personal portraits of people most influential in the current field of care for dying people."-Kristina Snyder, M.Ed. Former Director of Hospice and Consultant on Hospice and Elder Services Cambridge, Massachusetts
"How may we face dying Hospice offers human understanding, control of pain, and a direct, fearless look at death. Hemlock and other forms of physician-assisted aid-in-dying offer the possibility of dying on one's own terms, when one is ready, at the point in one's final illness one chooses. These are the two principal alternatives Constance Putnam explores in Hospice or Hemlock as she skillfully shows us the shoals over which we navigate in steering between these choices. Both by examining philosophical arguments and by looking at the human faces of the main figures in the right-to-die controversy, Putnam offers us new, important insights about the controversies over the right to die."-Margaret P. Battin, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy, University of Utah
[H]ospice or Hemlock offers a comprehensive review of the literature and a usual summary of the debate....Putnam achieves her goal of making this well-written and easy-to-read book accessible to a wide audience-The New England Journal of Medicine
In a field that is flooded with extremist views, this book provides a sane and moderate balance in addressing the important question of how on chooses to leave life....For those seeking the moral middle ground on this highly charged topic, this book makes an invaluable contribution.-Research News and Opportunities in Science and Theology
In this excellent work on a difficult issue, the author provides an informative overview that challenges readers to examine their own ethics, beliefs, and values as they relate to care giving. The book includes an extensive bibliography and reading list for those who wish to pursue additional information. For anyone considering a career in hospice or palliative care. Essential. General readers; professionals.-Choice
"Hospice or Hemlock offers a comprehensive review of the literature and a usual summary of the debate....Putnam achieves her goal of making this well-written and easy-to-read book accessible to a wide audience"-The New England Journal of Medicine
"[H]ospice or Hemlock offers a comprehensive review of the literature and a usual summary of the debate....Putnam achieves her goal of making this well-written and easy-to-read book accessible to a wide audience"-The New England Journal of Medicine
"In a field that is flooded with extremist views, this book provides a sane and moderate balance in addressing the important question of how on chooses to leave life....For those seeking the moral middle ground on this highly charged topic, this book makes an invaluable contribution."-Research News and Opportunities in Science and Theology
"In this excellent work on a difficult issue, the author provides an informative overview that challenges readers to examine their own ethics, beliefs, and values as they relate to care giving. The book includes an extensive bibliography and reading list for those who wish to pursue additional information. For anyone considering a career in hospice or palliative care. Essential. General readers; professionals."-Choice

Author Bio

Constance E. Putnam is a independent scholar and writer who specializes in medical history and medical ethics. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts.