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Ronald Dworkin
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Life's Dominion: An Argument About Abortion, Euthanasia, and Individual Freedom Paperback – June 28, 1994

by Ronald Dworkin (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 60 ratings
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Internationally renowned lawyer and philosopher Ronald Dworkin addresses the crucially related acts of abortion and euthanasia in a brilliantly original book that examines their meaning in a nation that prizes both life and individual liberty. From Roe v. Wade to the legal battle over the death of Nancy Cruzan, no issues have opened greater rifts in American society than those of abortion and euthanasia. 
At the heart of Life's Dominion is Dworkin's inquest into why abortion and euthanasia provoke such controversy. Do these acts violate some fundamental "right to life"? Or are the objections against them based on the belief that human life is sacred? Combining incisive moral reasoning and close readings of indicidual court decisions with a majestic interpretation of the U.S. Constitution itself, Dworkin gives us a work that is absolutely essential for anyone who cares about the legal status of human life.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 28, 1994
  4. Dimensions
    5.19 x 0.65 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0679733191
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0679733195
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dworkin's landmark essay on abortion, euthanasia, American legal history and the Constitution.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A wonderfully rich and evocative investigation into the choices that confront us at the edges of life and death."--Lawrence Tribe, The New York Times Book Review

"Dworkin has made a miracle, so meticulous and rich a reformulation of how we think about the borders between life and death that it illuminates the very nature of how we live our lives."--Joan Didion.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; Reprint edition (June 28, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679733191
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679733195
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 0.65 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 60 ratings

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Ronald Dworkin

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
60 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Krys
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely love it.
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2014
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This book tackles really important questions about the sanctity of life, the questions that I feel are purposely glossed over when it comes to abortion and euthanasia debates because the answers, though true, are morbid and against many ideals that society has created regarding life. This book is definitely a keeper.
2 people found this helpful
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Michael J. Heilman
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for natural dyers
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2013
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Nicely packaged and a good price for a bulk purchase. I bought it to use as a mordant in dying and the price makes it easy to use the quantities I need to dye large batches.
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Soheil
5.0 out of 5 stars Effect of religion.
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2019
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Very important book about unnatural death.
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bluejay
4.0 out of 5 stars Great price.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2016
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Good book for my class. Much less expensive than college bookstore prices.
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Robert G. Leroe
5.0 out of 5 stars Honest assessment
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2020
Attorney Ronald Dworkin has written a complex book on bioethics from an ethical and legal perspective. He covers the "two edges of life" in an examination of the morally problematic arguments concerning abortion and euthanasia.

The key question, Dworkin points out, is not whether a fetus is a person--with constitutional rights and interests--but how best to respect a conviction that many share, whether for philosophical or religious reasons: The life of any human creature, in any form, and at any stage, has intrinsic, sacred value. It may be regarded as immoral when human life at any stage is deliberately extinguished, and an insult to God's creative power. The question, Dworkin poses, is whether and when abortion is an unjustifiable waste of something of intrinsic importance.

For those who attest that life begins at conception, Dworkin discusses the issue of "ensoulment." He states that the pro-life argument is strengthened by insisting on immediate or early ensoulment. However, even in this is delayed, he suggests that there is nevertheless a human life preparing for a soul. He adds, "it seems undeniable that a human embryo is an identifiable living organism."

Religion often gets involved in social justice and is frequently criticized for delving into politics. Dworkin defends the involvement of religious organizations in the political arena.

Dworkin explains how abortion is regarded as a constitutional right of privacy, and therefore governments ought not legislate against it. He also attests that the claim of privacy treats pregnancy as if a woman and her fetus were morally and genetically separate entities. Legally, unborn children are not regarded as constitutionally protected persons, yet their mothers are granted procreative autonomy. He insists that if and when a fetus is given the right to live, a mother's interest should not be regarded as more important than that right. He adds that abortion is a kind of "self-destruction" in that a woman is destroying a part of herself.

Dworkin discusses whether a fetus has rights and interests in remaining alive, then applies these interests to euthanasia, citing examples from several court decisions. He provides helpful background on advanced medical directives and cites legal nightmares of those who by neglect are forced to rely on casual conversations to document the wishes of loved ones in a persistent vegitative state. He suggest that it is because life is sacred that we are not indifferent about what happens to us.

Medical ethics is a complex field requiring an understanding of the legal, social, and religious implications of medical decisions. Ronald Dworkin has provided a compelling, exhaustive presentation of a complex issue that ought to be read by everyone, regardless of which side of the issues they are on. This book is especially valuable for all who are grappling with what respect human life requires.
3 people found this helpful
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Alejandro Ramírez
5.0 out of 5 stars Despite being published 25 years ago, the book’s insights and arguments continue to be useful
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2019
Despite being published 25 years ago, the book’s insights and arguments continue to be useful in the contemporary debate about abortion and euthanasia. The arguments provided by Dworkin throughout the book are consistent, and very well written, relating the subjects of discussion to disciplines such as medicine, biology, ethics, history, politics and constitutional law, all of which are central to understand the different positions about the topic, and because of that, enables the reader to assume one of those positions or criticize them, understanding what lies beyond each position and argument. In other words, this book is a perfect “medium-level” introduction to the core of this great debates, even a quarter of century later, because it can be understood by anyone, but it would require some time and patience to go through the most complex parts, specially those referred to the specific disciplines (law, medicine, philosophy, etc.) that serve as foundations of the arguments given in the discussions.
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John Hopkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Pro-Life crowd.
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2007
This book is one of the most amazing and critical inquiries into a socially relevant topic of the 20th century. The arguments are almost flawless, beautifully interwoven with examples, anecdotes and personally relevant stories spanning the whole spectrum of human emotion.

This book will not bore you. It will be quite interesting from a humanistic, legal and historical point of view. However, Ronald Dworkin is indeed a liberal philosopher who believes that liberal social policy (in regards to abortion and euthanasia) can coexist with one's belief that life is ever precious.

Naturally, conflicting and strict moral belief systems divide conservatives and liberals in regards to such hot-button issues. If you are truly willing to read this book with an open mind, you will not be disappointed and perhaps will become a better and more informed advocate. On the other hand, if you read this book while conceptualizing some circular reasoning debasing Dworkin's every word - in favor of a verse from the bible - this book is certainly not for you!
11 people found this helpful
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Jenna Hoffman (jhoffman@gwu.edu)
4.0 out of 5 stars Good moral introspective
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 1999
I'm reading this book as part of and Ethics and Health Care course and find Dworkin's argument to be a concise moral overview of the current debate on abortion and euthanasia. He does equal justice to views from the Catholic Church to the Women's movement on aspects of abortion and gives those with a less extensive legal background an easily understandable assessment of important precedents and pending legislation. I found his coverage on other other systems outside of the US to be lacking, but realize this is not the primary focus of his work. For a better analysis of the current acceptability and status of PAS and euthanasia in the Netherlands look for articles by Van der Maas and Angell in JAMA or the NEJM. Overall, Dworkin does justice to a highly controversial issue with adequate research and moral reasoning. An excellant beginner to understanding abortion and euthanasia.
10 people found this helpful
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MICHAEL FINOTTI🇺🇸🇬🇧
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in Brazil on October 18, 2017
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Great book. Great author !
Clear, straight to the point and amazingly written.
The vook has given me a whole new outlook on Euthanasia and abortion. Splendid.
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Larisa Astley
5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and as good as described
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2018
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Postage took a long time but I knew that
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Clive R
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2016
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Book was in good condition, reasonably priced and arrived quickly...can't do much better than that!
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Kam
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2017
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Great price -- good read,
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Debashish Dutta
3.0 out of 5 stars Waited a long time for this
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2013
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It was a second hand book I chose because it appeared cheaper. However, it took a long time to arrive (almost over a month). I retrospect I should have gone for new one because the book has been underlined by previous owner heavily and I am finding it distracting and annoying.
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