Final Exit (Third Edition)

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A revised and updated edition of the landmark work on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, with critically important information for patients, loved ones, and medical personnel“This book deserves extensive publicity and consideration for what it means to respect people’s choices about dying.’’—American Journal of Law and MedicineAll I ask of persons to whom any form of euthanasia is morally repugnant is tolerance and understanding of the feelings of others who want the right to choose what happens to their bodies in a free society. To every person their own way of death.—from the IntroductionThe original publication of Final Exit stunned the nation by offering people with terminal illnesses a choice on how—and when—to end their suffering. It helped thousands by giving clear instructions to doctors, nurses, and families on how to handle a patient’s request for euthanasia. It has become the essential source to helped loved ones and supportive doctors remain within existing laws and keep a person’s dying intimate, private, and dignified.In the wake of court cases and mandates, this revised and updated edition provides information about the legality of euthanasia and assisted suicide, and a thoughtful examination of the personal issues involved. With deep compassion and sensitivity, it spells out why a living will may not be sufficient to have a person’s wishes carried out—and what document is a better alternative. It updates where to get proper drugs and exactly how to carry out the quickest, most peaceful way to make a final exit. Finally, it talks gently to a person considering self-deliverance about alternatives, planning, and the means to make every death a “good death” at our time of greatest need.