Euthanasia: Moral And Pastoral

This book is a welcome resource for the general reader as well as health care practitioners. It is a simply written, straightforward introduction to the euthanasia question.
In a culture so driven by individualism, autonomy, and avoidance of discomfort, it is difficult to forestall the almost inevitable push for the “quick fix,” the direct and seemingly easy solution. Richard Gula, popular teacher and insightful ethical consultant, offers the reader an overview and critique of the issues at stake – patient autonomy, the traditional prohibition against killing the innocent, and the call for beneficence in health care. In a particular way he focuses positively on the Catholic tradition’s reasons and motivations for opposing physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. In the end, Gula offers a pastoral vision, a call for the personal virtues of humility, courage, and hope, within a community or parish committed to caring, hospitality, and interdependence.