Medical technology has made it possible to sustain human existence past the point where the competent adult might rationally conclude that life is no longer worth living. Nevertheless, the current state of the law often makes it difficult, if not impossible, for an individual to have unfettered control over the act of dying, as determinations against medical intervention are frequently swept under broad legal proscriptions of self-directed death. This book cogently argues that an examination of the constitutional right to privacy and allied constitutional precepts reveal that the United States Constitution protects those decisions which are profoundly personal, intimate, and integral to the control of one's own destiny. The decision which fits this criterion more closely than any other is whether to continue living or not, for intrinsic to the control of one's life is the choice of electing to forego continued life. Hence, constitutional guarantees of individual liberty protect the right of the individual - at least under certain circumstances - to terminate his or her own existence.

Autorentext

The Author: G. Steven Neeley is a practicing Attorney-At-Law and assistant professor of Philosophy at Saint Francis College. He received his B.S.B.A. from Xavier University, his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Cincinnati. He has two teaching awards to his credit and has published numerous articles on Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, constitutional law, and biomedical ethics.

Zusammenfassung
"Neeley's probing and passionate plea for the right to suicide should provoke serious thinking and reconsideration...'The Constitutional Right to Suicide' will sharpen one's thinking on the issue, pro or con." (Donald A. Downs, Law and Politics Book Review)