Terminal illness: opposing viewpoints

Americans are increasingly well informed about how to obtain quality end-of-life care / Lisa Miller

Americans are ill informed about how to obtain quality end-of-life care / Last Acts

Advance directives are improving end-of-life care / Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter

Advance directives do not always improve end-of-life care / Valerie Reitman

Hospice care is benefiting the terminally ill / Jack D. Gordon, Stephen Kiernan

Many minorities are not benefiting from hospice care / Gwen London

Care for the dying is inadequate in Western Society / Julia Neuberger

End-of-life care in developing nations has not been adequately addressed / Peter A. Singer, Kerry W. Bowman

How should the physical pain of terminal illness be relieved?

Effective pain relief is hampered by inadequate knowledge / Julia Riley

Effective pain relief is hampered by drug control laws / Carol Sieger

Patients should be allowed to choose terminal sedation / Timothy E. Quill and Ira R. Byock

Terminal sedation should not be used in palliative care / Mark B. Blocher

Marijuana should be legalized for seriously ill people / Byron Demmer

Marijuana should not be legalized for seriously ill people / Mark Souder, Janet M. LaRue

How can the spiritual and emotional pain of terminal illness be eased?

Doctors should speak openly with patients and their families about death / Kerri Wachter

Embracing feelings about death before becoming ill is beneficial / Fred Branfman

Doctors should address the spirituality of the terminally ill / Myles N. Sheehan

Doctors should show more compassion toward the terminally ill / Rachel K. Sobel

Doctors should help terminally ill patients die with a clear mind / Josh Fischman

Should euthanasia be allowed for terminally ill patients?

The terminally ill should be allowed to choose euthanasia / Andrea E. Richardson

The terminally ill should not be allowed to choose euthanasia / Margaret Somerville

Legalizing euthanasia empowers patients and improves quality of care / Richard T. Hull

Legalizing euthanasia eliminates patient autonomy and reduces quality of care / Herbert Hendin

Physician-assisted suicide should be legalized / Faye Girsh

Physician-assisted suicide should not be legalized / Lawrence Rudden and Gerard V, Bradley

Euthanasia should be legalized and regulated by the government / Economist

Euthanasia should not be legalized and regulated by the government