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OverviewSuicide, and how civilized people should respond to it, is an increasingly controversial topic in modern society. In Holland, suicide is the third leading cause of death of people between the ages of fifteen and forty. In the United States, it is the second leading cause of death among older teenagers. Laws prohibiting assisted suicide are being directly and boldly confronted by activists in the United States, most notably Jack Kevorkian. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union has publicly declared suicide a fundamental human right that should be protected under the Constitution. The Hemlock Society has introduced referenda in California, Washington, and Oregon to legalize suicide and assisted suicide. The most vocal opposition to these initiatives has come from the Roman Catholic church.Breaking the Thread of Life marshalls philosophical, moral, medical, historical, and theological arguments in support of the Roman Catholic position against suicide. In a comprehensive study of the history of suicide, Barry shows that Christian civilization was one of only a few early societies that was able to bring suicide under control. He counters claims that Catholicism and the Bible endorse rational suicide. Barry also analyzes arguments in support of the rationality of suicide and illuminates their biases, inadequacies, and dangers.Barry presents the rationale for the Roman Catholic church's strong, extensive, and articulate opposition to efforts to gain legal and social endorsement of suicide and assisted suicide. His book represents the most complete study of the classical Roman Catholic view of rational suicide to date, and it will be of significant interest to philosophers, theologians, physicians, and lawyers. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Robert BarryPublisher: Taylor & Francis Inc Imprint: Routledge Weight: 0.725kg ISBN: 9781560001423ISBN 10: 1560001429 Pages: 353 Publication Date: 31 July 1994 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of Contents1: Defining Suicide in the Catholic Context; 2: The Changing Face of Despair: The Catholic Response to Ancient Suicide; 3: The Emergence of Modern Suicide; 4: Catholicism and the Morality of Suicide; 5: The Rationality of Suicide; 6: The Voluntariness of Rational Suicide; 7: Indirectly Intended Analgesic Suicide: Clarifying the Principles; 8: The Social Dynamics of Rational Suicide; 9: Proclaiming Hope and New Life to the Dying: Suicide and Pastoral CareReviews<p> Suicide, in the eyes of society, is rapidly evolving from an act of despair to a contested civil right. Barry, a Dominican priest, provides an informative analysis of the issues surrounding legal suicide in a manner that neither condemns self-sacrifice nor morally condones the taking of one's life... Upper-division undergraduate through faculty. <p> --M. A. Gillis, Choice Suicide, in the eyes of society, is rapidly evolving from an act of despair to a contested civil right. Barry, a Dominican priest, provides an informative analysis of the issues surrounding legal suicide in a manner that neither condemns self-sacrifice nor morally condones the taking of one's life... Upper-division undergraduate through faculty. --M. A. Gillis, Choice "-Suicide, in the eyes of society, is rapidly evolving from an act of despair to a contested civil right. Barry, a Dominican priest, provides an informative analysis of the issues surrounding legal suicide in a manner that neither condemns self-sacrifice nor morally condones the taking of one's life... Upper-division undergraduate through faculty.- --M. A. Gillis, Choice ""Suicide, in the eyes of society, is rapidly evolving from an act of despair to a contested civil right. Barry, a Dominican priest, provides an informative analysis of the issues surrounding legal suicide in a manner that neither condemns self-sacrifice nor morally condones the taking of one's life... Upper-division undergraduate through faculty."" --M. A. Gillis, Choice ""Suicide, in the eyes of society, is rapidly evolving from an act of despair to a contested civil right. Barry, a Dominican priest, provides an informative analysis of the issues surrounding legal suicide in a manner that neither condemns self-sacrifice nor morally condones the taking of one's life... Upper-division undergraduate through faculty."" --M. A. Gillis, Choice" Author InformationRobert Barry Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |