“Is suicide wrong, profoundly morally wrong? Almost always wrong, but excusable in a few cases? Sometimes morally permissible? Imprudent, but not wrong? Is it sick, a matter of mental illness? Is it a private matter or a largely social one? Could it sometimes be right, or a "noble duty," or even a fundamental human right? Whether it is called "suicide" or not, what role may a person play in the end of his or her own life?” These are questions posed and addressed in a new book published by Oxford University Press with the full digital version hosted online by the Marriott Library at the University of Utah. The book’s editor is Margaret Pabst Battin, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Medical Ethics at the University of Utah. Her comprehensive historical sourcebook, “The Ethics of Suicide: HIstorical Sources,” will be presented at an event on Monday, October 5th - 12:00 - 2:00 pm at the J. Willard Marriot Library, Gould Auditorium, level 1.
Margaret Battin has authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited some twenty books, including “Drugs and Justice,” “The Patient as Victim” and “Vector: Ethics and Infectious Disease.” She has published two collections of essays on end-of-life issues, “The Least Worst Death” and “Ending Life.”
