The Law of Life and Death
Title | The Law of Life and Death PDF eBook |
Author | Elizabeth Price Foley |
Publisher | Harvard University Press |
Pages | 315 |
Release | 2011-08-01 |
Genre | Law |
ISBN | 0674060903 |
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.
Death, Family and the Law
Title | Death, Family and the Law PDF eBook |
Author | Edward Kirton-Darling |
Publisher | Policy Press |
Pages | 224 |
Release | 2022-06-20 |
Genre | Law |
ISBN | 1529212472 |
When a death is investigated by a coroner, what is the place of the family in that process? This accessibly written book draws together empirical, theoretical and historical perspectives to develop a rich, nuanced analysis of the contemporary inquest system in England and Wales. It investigates theories of kinship drawn from socio-legal research and analyses law, accountability and the legal process. Excerpts of conversations with coroners and officers offer real insights into how the role of family can be understood and who family is perceived to be, and how their participation fundamentally shapes the investigation into a death.
Death in the Family
Title | Death in the Family PDF eBook |
Author | Tessa Wegert |
Publisher | Berkley |
Pages | 322 |
Release | 2020 |
Genre | Fiction |
ISBN | 0593097890 |
A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. In this captivating mystery that's perfect for fans of Knives Out, Senior Investigator Shana Merchant discovers that murder is a family affair. Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she's taken a job in her fiancé's sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York. But as a nor'easter bears down on her new territory, Shana and fellow investigator Tim Wellington receive a call about a man missing on a private island. Shana and Tim travel to the isolated island owned by the wealthy Sinclair family to question the witnesses. They arrive to find blood on the scene and a house full of Sinclair family and friends on edge. While Tim guesses they're dealing with a runaway case, Shana is convinced that they have a murder on their hands. As the gale intensifies outside, she starts conducting interviews and discovers the Sinclairs and their guests are crawling with dark and dangerous secrets. Trapped on the island by the raging storm with only Tim whose reliability is thrown into question, the increasingly restless suspects, and her own trauma-fueled flashbacks for company, Shana will have to trust the one person her abduction destroyed her faith in--herself. But time is ticking down, because if Shana's right, a killer is in their midst and as the pressure mounts, so do the odds that they'll strike again.
Approaching Death
Title | Approaching Death PDF eBook |
Author | Committee on Care at the End of Life |
Publisher | National Academies Press |
Pages | 457 |
Release | 1997-10-30 |
Genre | Medical |
ISBN | 0309518253 |
When the end of life makes its inevitable appearance, people should be able to expect reliable, humane, and effective caregiving. Yet too many dying people suffer unnecessarily. While an "overtreated" dying is feared, untreated pain or emotional abandonment are equally frightening. Approaching Death reflects a wide-ranging effort to understand what we know about care at the end of life, what we have yet to learn, and what we know but do not adequately apply. It seeks to build understanding of what constitutes good care for the dying and offers recommendations to decisionmakers that address specific barriers to achieving good care. This volume offers a profile of when, where, and how Americans die. It examines the dimensions of caring at the end of life: Determining diagnosis and prognosis and communicating these to patient and family. Establishing clinical and personal goals. Matching physical, psychological, spiritual, and practical care strategies to the patient's values and circumstances. Approaching Death considers the dying experience in hospitals, nursing homes, and other settings and the role of interdisciplinary teams and managed care. It offers perspectives on quality measurement and improvement, the role of practice guidelines, cost concerns, and legal issues such as assisted suicide. The book proposes how health professionals can become better prepared to care well for those who are dying and to understand that these are not patients for whom "nothing can be done."
A Death in the Family
Title | A Death in the Family PDF eBook |
Author | Mark T. Pifher |
Publisher | |
Pages | 502 |
Release | 2022 |
Genre | Fiction |
ISBN | 9780578874296 |
A death in the family can result in profound and enduring impacts on the future of those left behind. Tom O'Brien, a journalist, has lost his wife, Laura, to cancer. Katie, his college aged daughter, and Katie's older brother, Brian, no longer have a mother. In an attempt to mend a strained family relationship, father and daughter agree to jointly write a journal, the content of which will focus on their investigation into the brutal murder of a local political operative. Their efforts will trigger a chain of tragic events, some planned, others seemingly fortuitous. They will uncover a pattern of sexual harassment and assaults in a Congressional office which will lead, in one way or another, to the deaths of Brian's fiancé, the convicted murderer, the father of Katie's best friend, and a United States Senator. Each of these deaths, beginning with the passing of Laura O'Brien, will expose hidden secrets and personal vulnerabilities that will require father and daughter to recognize the existence of an inextinguishable familial light before they can escape a period of intense darkness.
In the Shadow of Death
Title | In the Shadow of Death PDF eBook |
Author | Elizabeth Beck |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 333 |
Release | 2007-02-08 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0195346300 |
The press called Martin's actions a "crime spree." Already convicted of armed robbery, Martin was facing the death penalty. In less than two weeks the jury would decide his fate. Terrified that his son would be sentenced to die, Phillip did the only thing he felt he could do: in an act of faith and desperation in his garage with the car exhaust running, Phillip made the consummate sacrifice to spare his son the ultimate punishment. Ironically, his suicide presented Martin's with another chance at life; the jury, moved by Martin's loss, spared his life. Phillip's story-like those of the other parents, siblings, children, and cousins chronicled in this book-vividly illustrates the precarious position family members of capital offenders occupy in the criminal justice system. At once outsiders and victims, they live in the shadow of death, crushed by trauma, grief, and helplessness. In this penetrating account of guilt and innocence, shame and triumph, devastating loss and ultimate redemption, the voices of these family members add a new dimension to debates about capital punishment and how communities can prevent and address crime. Restorative justice theory, which views violent crime as an extreme violation of relationships; searches for ways to hold offenders accountable; and meets the needs of victims and communities torn apart by the crime, organizes these narratives and integrates offenders' families into the process of transforming conflict and promoting justice and healing for all. What emerges from hundreds of hours' worth of in-depth interviews with family members of offenders and victims, legal teams, and leaders in the abolition and restorative justice movements is a vision of justice strongly rooted in the social fabric of communities. Showing that forgiveness and recovery are possible in the wake of even the most heinous crimes, while holding victims' stories sacred, this eye-opening book bridges the pain of living in the shadow of death with the possibility of a reparative form of justice. Anyone working with victims, offenders, and their families-from lawyers and social workers to mediators and activists-will find this riveting work indispensable to their efforts.
Courting Death
Title | Courting Death PDF eBook |
Author | Desmond Manderson |
Publisher | Pluto Press (UK) |
Pages | 256 |
Release | 1999 |
Genre | Law |
ISBN |
This collection deals with complex issues relating to death such as 'mercy killings', the 'right to die' and murder. the relationship will always be controversial. This timely and provocative collection brings together scholars from Australia, Britain and the US.