This textbook addresses the topic of death and dying from the late 20th to early 21st century, with a particular focus on the United States. Respect for patients' values has been identified as an important moral component of clinical decision-making. It is apparent that the promise of technology has a dark side: it prolongs the dying process. For the first time in history, human beings have the ability to control the time of death. With this ability comes an incredible and unavoidable responsibility. How we understand and manage this responsibility is the subject of this volume. The book consists of six sections. Section I examines how the law has helped shape clinical practice, emphasising the role of patient rights and autonomy. Section II focuses on specific clinical issues such as the death and dying of children, continuous sedation as a way to alleviate suffering at the end of life, and the problem of prognosis in patients who are thought to be dying. Section
addresses psychosocial and cultural issues. Section IV discusses death and dying among different vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and people with disabilities. Section V deals with physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia (lethal injection). Finally, Section VI considers hospice and palliative care as a means of addressing the psychosocial and ethical issues of death and dying.