Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America

In 2005, the Terri Schiavo case galvanized millions to think about end-of-life decision making and question when life ends and how to define a good death. Colby, the lawyer for Nancy Cruzan, whose 1988 case was one of the first to raise such questions, writes elegantly about these issues. He reminds us that the right to die is a new subject because the technology that allows us to keep patients alive is recent. Cardiac defibrillators, as he points out, were first used to resuscitate patients in 1959. The term "persistent vegetative state" was defined only in 1972, as a result of the Cruzan case. Colby discusses briefly the major issues in three high-profile right-to-die cases—Cruzan, Schiavo and the first, that of Karen Ann Quinlan in 1976—to highlight the difficult medical and legal questions surrounding the end of life, including the advantages and disadvantages of a living will, appointing a legal guardian and "do not resuscitate" orders. He takes no ethical position regarding the removal of feeding tubes or respirators but urges us to talk to our families about our wishes in this regard. Although many other books have covered these topics, few possess Colby's engaging style and judicious insights. (June)