End-of-Life Decisions: A Psychosocial Perspective

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The recent defeat of a referendum to legalize physicianassistedsuicide in Michigan (not to mention the performanceof euthanasia on national television by a prominent pathologist)has underscored continued public interest in issues surroundingmedical care delivered at the end of life. In a mannersimilar to its relative silence during the abortion debate in the1980s, the medical community has been generally reticent toforward cogent arguments supporting viable models of end-oflifecare. The group of essays compiled by Steinberg andYoungner are a welcome aberration to this disturbing trend.