Last Rights: A Catholic Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions

Thông tin sách: Last Rights: A Catholic Perspective on End-of-Life Decisions (Hardcover, 224 trang) – Sheed & Ward, 2003. Ngôn ngữ: Tiếng Anh.

Topics in bioethics and end-of-life decision-making are reported in the news, dissected in professional journals, and discussed in hospital ethics committees. However, argues Dr. Dolores L. Christie, the critical venue for such questions is everyday life in which real people must make the best possible decisions for themselves or for someone that they love. Every decision has a perspective, rooted in the beliefs of the decision-makers and played out in the unique settings and possibilities of their lives. Last Rights examines end-of-life decisions in the context of the Roman Catholic tradition, a heritage rich in its teaching about the human person, the value of life, and the moral rights and responsibilities inherent to every human being. In addition to bringing the Catholic tradition to bear on end-of-life issues in the largest possible context, Last Rights is written for Catholics seeking a better understanding of their own tradition, ministers who deal with Catholic patients, those who do not understand the perspectives of the Catholic tradition and wish to learn more, and ordinary decision-makers for whom these complex issues can be painful and even paralyzing. Structured so that it can be read as a whole or in parts, Last Rights includes cross-references to related passages throughout the text, a glossary of technical medical and ethical terms, and an appendix and bibliography that provide resources for further study and helpful tools for end-of-life decision-making. Editorial Reviews Review This book provides a marvelous combination of background information and profoundly wise insight. It is lucidly written, accessible to anyone concerned about decision-making in a clinical context, but also useful for teachers, scholars, pastoral ministers, and medical professionals. Catholic individuals and families will welcome its careful mapping of the tradition as well as its compassionate consideration of current concrete questions. Those who are not Roman Catholic can also find important information and thought-provoking perspectives. Here is a book to build wisdom and love as we companion loved ones, or struggle with our own decisions, in the face of dying and death. (Margaret A. Farley)

Last Rights is a very well-written and useful book for those who find themselves in the difficult position of having to make end-of-life decisions for their loved ones. Dr. Christie uses the best of the Catholic tradition to examine contemporary problems and she provides excellent guidance on what is a very difficult journey. (Shannon, Thomas A.)

This is a remarkable book! It is rare to find, under one cover, a clear and engaging explanation of the Catholic approach to complex and emotionally difficult end-of-life decisions, a familiarity with clinical reality, pastoral sensitivity, and the insight and wisdom gained from years of reflection. Those seeking a better understanding of the Catholic perspective on end-of-life issues, as well as those struggling to make decisions about such issues, should find this book extraordinarily helpful. (Ron Hamel) About the Author Dr. Dolores L. Christie is executive director of the Catholic Theological Society of America with national offices at John Carroll University. An experienced clinical ethicist, she serves on the ethics committees of a tertiary care hospital, a long-term care facility, and on the Ohio Solid Organ Transplant Consortium ethics and patient selection committees. She is the author of Adequately Considered: An American Approach to Louis Janssens' Personalist Morals (Peeters, 1990) as well as several book chapters and articles and many reviews. Her article, 'This Is My Body: A Good Friday Reflection,' (Emmanuel Magazine) won the 1997 Catholic Press Journalism Award for Best Magazine Article. She lives in Cleveland with her physician husband of 43 years, Richard Christie.