Scope

This is a guide to research on the medical, legal and ethical issues involved in euthanasia. Active euthanasia is the taking of life (including suicide and assisted suicide) to end the suffering of a critically ill person. Passive euthanasia ("the right to die") is the withholding of life support so that a terminally ill patient may die a natural death. See also the research guides "Death and Dying" and "Suicide."

Overview

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online 1992 (updated daily)
Britannica Online is a searchable collection of authoritative references, including Britannica's latest encyclopedia articles. Basic instructions for Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
College Library Reference Collection: BJ 63 A66 1998
Refer to "Euthanasia," in volume 2, pp 175-187.

Encyclopedia of Bioethics
College Library Reference Collection: QH 332 E52 2004
Refer to "Euthanasia," in index, volume 5.

Encyclopedia of Ethics
College Library Reference Collection: BJ 63 E45 2001
Refer to "Euthanasia," pp 492-498.

Encyclopedia of Death and Dying
College Library Reference Collection: HQ 1073 E543 2001
Refer to "Assisted Suicide," pp 38-39; "Euthanasia," pp 176-178.

The Encyclopedia of Suicide
College Library Reference Collection: HV 6545 E87 2003
Refer to "Assisted Suicide," pp 14-17; "Euthanasia," pp 89-91.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Voluntary Euthanasia
Article from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

euthanasia and law*
euthanasia and ethic*
euthanasia and Netherlands
right to die
assisted suicide
physician assisted suicide
palliative care
euthanasia and religio*

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

General Science Full Text 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 150 popular and scholarly periodicals, as well as the Science section of the New York Times. Subjects include biology, chemistry, earth sciences, environment, nutrition, genetics, medicine and health. Basic instructions for General Science Full Text

Humanities Full Text 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 400 scholarly journals on archaeology, classical studies, art, film, folklore, history, journalism, linguistics, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy and religion. Basic instructions for Humanities Full Text

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Dates Vary (updated daily)
Contains the full-text articles from U.S. and international newspapers (including the New York Times, June 1980 - to date), as well as some news and business magazines and trade journals. The truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!). Basic instructions for Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

PsycINFO 1872 - to date (updated weekly)
Indexes 1,300 scholarly journals along with books and book chapters in psychology, educational psychology, and behavioral sciences. Basic instructions for PsycINFO

Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) 1972 - to date (updated quarterly)
Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, directories, serials, reports of public, intergovernmental and private organizations, and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world. The full-text of the articles is not available in the database. Basic instructions for PAIS

Readers' Guide Full Text and Retrospective 1890 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 240 popular magazines in a wide range of subject areas. Full-text coverage of 131 titles begins with 1994. Basic instructions for Readers' Guide Full Text

Social Sciences Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 415 scholarly journals in economics, politics, public administration, public health, sociology, criminology, environmental and urban studies, psychology and anthropology. Basic instructions for Social Sciences Full Text

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on euthanasia can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

euthanasia and ethic?
"assisted suicide" and law?
"right to die"
medical and ethic?

Internet Sites

Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide
http://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm
Information gathered and presented by Religious Tolerance.org.

Euthanasia and the Right to Die
http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/dtheuth.html
Legal, medical, and ethical issues involved in palliative care, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

Google's Web Directory: Euthanasia
http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Issues/End-of-Life/Euthanasia/

Public Agenda Issue Guides: Right to Die
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/frontdoor.cfm?issue_type=right2die
Public Agenda, A nonpartisan opinion research and civic engagement organization, presents public opinion and arguments for and against the right to die.

Videos

Appointment with Death
College Library Main Collection: R 726 A6 1994

The Kevorkian File
College Library Main Collection: R 726 K486 1994

Organizations

ERGO (Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization)
http://www.finalexit.org
A pro-euthanasia organization.

Euthanasia.com
http://www.euthanasia.com/
A pro-life organization.