Foreword
One of the greatest scientific achievements of the twentieth century has been the development of medical technology to cure disease and prolong lives. Yet this progress has not come without a price. Today people with degenerative diseases tend to die more slowly and often more painfully.Furthermore, advances in medical technology have coincided with the increasing involvement of patients in decisions relating to their own care. Many terminally ill individuals want to be able to control the manner and timing of their death, and want their doctors to help them do it. However, this contradicts the physician’s traditional professional and moral…
