Coping with Choices to Die

This book examines the reactions of the friends and family of those who elect to die due to terminal illness. These surviving spouses, partners, relatives, and friends, in addition to coping with the death of a loved one, must also deal with the loved one’s decision to die, thus severing the relationship. C. G. Prado examines how reactions to elective death are influenced by cultural influences and beliefs, particularly those related to life, death, and the possibility of an afterlife. Understanding the role of these cultural influences on the grieving processes of survivors is a crucial step in allowing them to accept both intellectually and emotionally the finality of elective death and to deal with the decision of their loved one.

Reviews & endorsements

"....C. G. Prado offers a philosophical treatise of the reactions of loved ones (referred to as "survivors") of persons who elect to die due to terminal illness (referred to as "electors").... He explores how the surviving family and friends deal with the ill person's decision to die, particularly with regard to the severed relationships that result. The attention to survivors in this book is unique, and justified, according to Prado, because the survivor role is distinctive.... the book provides a helpful complement to the literature on decision making by the terminally ill, assisted suicide and euthanasia, and the grief process for survivors.... This book has the potential to be an essential reference for clinical ethicists, patients, and their families and friends...."
--Felicia Cohn, University of California, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

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Product details

• Date Published: November 2010
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9780521132480
• length: 206 pages

• dimensions: 228 x 152 x 15 mm
• weight: 0.28kg
• availability: Available