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Do Not Go Gentle: The Case Against Assisted Death

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Is there a right to die?

Is a system of assisted death really compassionate?

Are we sleepwalking into a moral disaster?

In Do Not Go Gentle, acclaimed writer and philosopher Kathleen Stock tackles one of the great debates of our time: should we set up a system of assisted death? With her trademark sharp thinking and dry wit, the bestselling author of Material Girls argues that despite what some progressives might tell you, assisted death will not give a person more "freedom" or "control" over their lives. Whether you have a terminal illness, are in chronic pain, or are disabled, being able to ask your doctor to kill you fundamentally changes society's attitude towards the vulnerable - and in a sinister direction.

Life is complex. For some individuals, an assisted death might be the right choice. But we should be deeply wary of introducing a system that offers death as just another option, especially when palliative care is so under-resourced. Expertly marshalling the arguments, Stock's laser polemic cuts through the wishful thinking and clouded reasoning that surrounds the issue and reaffirms life, rather than death, as what we should be fighting for. Collectively, we should rage against the dying of the light.

More books by Kathleen Stock

Kathleen Stock

Kathleen Stock OBE is a contributing writer at UnHerd, a frequent columnist at The Sunday Times and the Times, and a co-director of The Lesbian Project which she runs with journalist and activist Julie Bindel. She is the author of Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism (Little Brown 2021). From 2021-2023 she was a Founding Faculty Fellow at UATX. Until 2021, she was a Professor of Philosophy at Sussex University.

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