Terminally ill, in crippling pain, but fully aware, a patient may wish to shuffle off this proverbial mortal coil, but circumstances may preclude this. That is where the physician may help, or so argue Sheila McLean and Alison Britton in The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide (Pandora, £5.99, ISBN 0 04 440983 4). This short “case for” covers the ethics of a troubling area, but no amount of argument will change strong beliefs.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Life
Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people
News
Environment
First test of CO2 removal with green sand finds no harm to marine life
News
Space
SpaceX is about to launch tallest and most powerful rocket in history
News
Environment
Cleaning up air pollution could weaken vital AMOC ocean current
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
A new tectonic plate boundary could be forming in southern Africa
2
Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum
3
Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer
4
CAR T-cell therapy bolstered by stiffening up cancer cells first
5
First test of CO2 removal with green sand finds no harm to marine life
6
Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people
7
Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery
8
Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth
9
Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth
10
The mathematician who doesn’t exist
