The Chronic Silence of Political Parties in End of Life Policymaking in the United States

Bianca Easterly

doi:10.5771/9781498556095

Summary

In recent decades, the level of moral acceptability of choice at the end of life has reached record highs. Legislative responsiveness to public opinion, however, has resulted in far fewer and much slower adoption patterns. For example, if a growing number of Americans support aid in dying legislation, why are so few states adopting them? While extensive research that explores matters of death and dying from the medical, legal, and religious perspectives exists, scholars have yet to consider the role of politics in explaining end of life policy adoption patterns. The Chronic Silence ofPolitical Parties in End of Life Policymaking in the United States retraces the right to die movement’s legislative history from its beginnings to the adoption and diffusion of its most recent innovations—the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Paradigm and death with dignity—to identify the various forces that hinder its progress.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2019
Copyright Year: 2019
ISBN-Print: 978-1-4985-5608-8
ISBN-Online: 978-1-4985-5609-5
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 114
Product Type: Monograph

1. Copyright No access
2. Contents No access
3. List of Tables and Figures No access
4. Acknowledgments No access
5. Introduction No access
1. Right to Die Legislation, 1906–1959 No access
2. The Expansion of the Aid in Dying Policies, 1960–1974 No access
3. Conclusion No access
4. Notes No access
1. The Introduction of Living Will Laws No access
2. The Rebirth of Hastening Death Policies No access
3. Common Features among Adopting States No access
4. Conclusion No access
5. Notes No access
1. The Formation of the Euthanasia Society of America No access
2. Hemlock Society’s Origins No access
3. The Oregon Death with Dignity Law, Measure 16 (1994, 1997) No access
4. Michigan’s Legalization of Lethal Medication to Terminally Ill, Proposal B (1998) No access
5. Maine Physician-Assisted Deaths for Terminally Ill Adults, Question 1 (2000) No access
6. The Massachusetts “Death with Dignity” Initiative, Question 2 (2012) No access
7. The Vermont Patient Choice and Control at the End of Life Act (2013) No access
8. Conclusion No access
9. Notes No access
1. Mercy Killing or Murder? No access
2. The Right to Refuse and Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment No access
3. The Ongoing Fight for a Right to Die No access
4. Challenging Bans on PAD in the States, 1997–2015 No access
5. Conclusion No access
6. Notes No access
1. The Evolution of Advance Care Planning Policy No access
2. Protocol Design and National Organization Development No access
3. POLST Program National Landscape No access
4. Conclusion No access
5. Notes No access
1. Organized Interests against POLST No access
2. Recent Death with Dignity Legislative Attempts No access
3. Maine’s 2017 Death with Dignity Bills No access
4. Massachusetts 2017 Death with Dignity Bills No access
5. New Jersey’s 2018–2019 Bills No access
6. Concluding Thoughts No access
7. Notes No access
Bibliography No access Pages 99 - 106
Index No access Pages 107 - 112
About the Author No access Pages 113 - 114