THE RIGHT TO DIE

The moral issues and changing choices and perceptions wrought by advanced medical technology, which can lead to ``life- saving'' intervention whose value is, at best, deeply problematic. Enlivening her narrative with anecdotal accounts, well chosen to exemplify how difficult medical decisions can be, Landau describes situations when life may be painfully extended by ``heroic means'' even though death is imminent or there is no hope that the person will ever again function as an individual. She mentions court cases that have defined the present legal status of removing respirators, feeding tubes, etc.; discusses living wills, citing the need for specificity to withstand challenges; devotes a chapter to the particularly difficult cases of infants born severely and irreparably disabled, one to teenagers (though they are legally subject to parents' decisions, she makes a good case for giving them a voice in their own fate), and one to assisted suicide. Clearly in favor of adults' right to responsible, well-informed self-determination, Landau offers a balanced, well-organized summary of urgent questions that continue to be debated, negotiated, litigated, and revised. A fine resource. Photo insert; list of organizations (representing several points of view); source notes (mostly periodicals); further reading; index. (Nonfiction. 11+)