Freedom to Die: People, Politics and the Right-to-die Movement

by Derek Humphrey, Mary Clement

Over the last decade, America has served as the battleground for a major political, social, cultural and religious war over one of the most fundamental questions we face: the right to die. Much like aborton in the 1970s, the right to die has emerged as one of the most urgent social issues for the coming years.
The strength of the right-to-die movement was underscored as early as 1991, when Derek Humphry published Final Exit , the movement's call to arms that inspired literally hundreds of thousands of Americans who wished to understand the concepts of assisted suicide and the right to die with dignity.  In 2011 Final Exit was in its 3rd edition.
Now Humphry has joined forces with attorney Mary Clement to write Freedom to Die , which places this civil rights story within the framework of American social history. More than a chronology of the movement, this book explores the inner motivations of an entire society. Reaching back to the years just after World War II, Freedom to Die explores the roots of the movements and answers the question: Why now, at the end of the twentieth century, has the right-to-die movement become part of the mainstream debate?

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pompous is the word that immediately came to mind as I read this book. Mr. Humphry has no qualm with stating how right his movement via the Hemlock Society was in every political angle and if the politicians had listened to him and the Hemlock Society that he created, the bills would not have been shot down in various states and countries. An entire chapter was about the greatness that is the Hemlock Society. Barf. It took me awhile to read this book because of Humphry's ego, some pages were hard to swallow.
I enjoyed the historical perspective of the freedom to die movement. It is a lengthy one full of various legal battles. I do not think Mr. Humphry gives any due respect to Dr. Kevorkian. Whether he helped or hindered the legal battles is irrelevant to me. His uncanny personality and way of bringing attention to the subject did exactly what he intended. People began talking about euthanasia! Isn't that the goal of any movement? Get people talking amongst themselves. Dr. Kevorkian gave euthanasia the light of day. The media went crazy for him! Giving people the control over their own death became household news, whether people agreed with it or resented it. I did not enjoy the political campaign strategies or how much each side spent. We are playing into party politics when one states that the more money and television commercials one side has the more likely they are to win. Do we want a bill to be passed based on half truths in tv ads? Not really. Majority rules is how a democracy works, it should be an educated majority.

[Camisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a read for a paper on the right to die. It was very touching ,and extreamly informative. I would recomend it to anyone.