Are you alive? What makes you so sure? Most people believe this question has a clear answer—that some law defines our status as living (or not) for all purposes. But they are dead wrong. In this pioneering study, Elizabeth Price Foley examines the many, and surprisingly ambiguous, legal definitions of what counts as human life and death. Foley reveals that “not being dead” is not necessarily the same as being alive, in the eyes of the law. People, pre-viable fetuses, and post-viable fetuses have different sets of legal rights, which explains the law's seemingly inconsistent approach to stem cell research, in vitro fertilization, frozen embryos, in utero embryos, contraception, abortion, homicide, and wrongful death. In a detailed analysis that is sure to be controversial, Foley shows how the need for more organ transplants and the need to conserve health care resources are exerting steady pressure to expand the legal definition of death. As a result, death is being declared faster than ever before. The "right to die," Foley worries, may be morphing slowly into an obligation to die. Foley’s balanced, accessible chapters explore the most contentious legal issues of our time—including cryogenics, feticide, abortion, physician-assisted suicide, brain death, vegetative and minimally conscious states, informed consent, and advance directives—across constitutional, contract, tort, property, and criminal law. Ultimately, she suggests, the inconsistencies and ambiguities in U.S. laws governing life and death may be culturally, and perhaps even psychologically, necessary for an enormous and diverse country like ours.

Are you alive? Most people believe this question has a clear answer - that some law defines our status as living (or not) for all purposes. In this pioneering study, Elizabeth Price Foley examines the many, and surprisingly ambiguous, legal definitions of what counts as human life and death.

Orentlicher uses controversial life-and-death issues as case studies for evaluating three models for translating principle into practice. Physician-assisted suicide illustrates the application of "generally valid rules," a model that provides predictability and simplicity and, more importantly, avoids the personal biases that influence case-by-case judgments. The author then takes up the debate over forcing pregnant women to accept treatments to save their fetuses. He uses this issue to weigh the "avoidance of perverse incentives," an approach to translation that follows principles hesitantly for fear of generating unintended results. And third, Orentlicher considers the denial of life-sustaining treatment on grounds of medical futility in his evaluation of the "tragic choices" model, which hides difficult life-and-death choices in order to prevent paralyzing social conflict.

The short story "The Law of Life" by Jack London is a study on the human psyche, as one faces the familiar cycle of life and death. Old Koskoosh, who is the father of his Native American tribe's chief, is dying. As his people leave him and he lays on the ground in his final hours to wait for his end, he looks back on his life. Memorable events fill his thoughts until the very end - even until the wolves arrive. The short story is one of London's stories inspired by the period the writer spent at the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 19th century and was published in the early 20th century. Jack London (1876–1916) was an American writer and social activist. He grew up in the working class, but became a worldwide celebrity and one of the highest paid authors of his time. He wrote several novels, which are considered classics today, among these 'Call of the Wild', 'Sea Wolf' and 'White Fang'.

Life in Death is the most comprehensive collection to date of work by artist Rebecca Louise Law. The book documents the evolution of Law's unique artistic practice, the use of flowers as preserved sculptural material. A journey through the earliest experiments, to her best known immersive installations, via a series of beautifully documented photographs. It also provides a unique insight into the life and influences of the artist, including an introduction written by Law. The title culminates with exclusive imagery of Life in Death, Law's forthcoming exhibition showcasing a sculptural installation at the heart of Kew's Shirley Sherwood Gallery, which pays homage to the expertise in preservation presented throughout Kew's collections and represents a symbol of natural durability which is central to Law's practice. Life in Death runs from 7 October 2017 - 11 March 2018 in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.