RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL:

• Anderson, Megory, Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for Embracing the End of Life:

• Published by Prima Publishing (2001), 364 pages.
• Review: "Life & Death On Your Own Terms", by Mary Ellen Foti, M.D. -- "Sharing the commonality of topic and tactic, Sacred Dying Life and Death on Your Own Terms speak to the multiple complexities of achieving a "good death" in today's reign of medical technology. That Americans have specific preferences about both how and where they want to die has been documented in numerous studies. However, despite this research, the end of life is all too often a harrowing experience for patient and family alike. Anderson and Basta offer possible remedies for this problem."

• Associated Press:

• "Catholics seek guidance on end-of-life issues" (01/12/07).

• Association of Professional Chaplains

• Buddha Dharma Educational Association:

• Buddhist Articles & eBooks on Death and Dying

• Chopra, Deepak, Life After Death: The Burden of Proof (Oct, 2005):

• Synopsis: "Chopra draws on cutting-edge scientific discoveries and the great wisdom traditions to provide a map of the afterlife. It's a fascinating journey into many levels of consciousness. But far more important is his urgent message: Who you meet in the afterlife and what you experience there reflect your present beliefs, expectations, and level of awareness. In the here and now you can shape what happens after you die."
• See also: Physicians on Mortality & Dying: Part II, by Neil E. Hendershot -- A commentary posted on the PA Elder, Estate & Fiduciary Law Blog (01/29/07).
  

• Christianity Today:

• Euthanasia Confusion, by Rob Moll, Associate Editor (02/01/07).
  
• Synopsis: "Newspaper accounts of end-of-life debates too often muddle the issues".
  
• Sample: "Having a positive vision of what death should look like — with confession, goodbyes to family and friends who watch in vigil, and last words, completed at home or another comfortable and familiar location — would help us navigate the tricky waters of end-of-life medicine."

• Daily Press (Hampton Roads, VA):

• "Physical death does not mean the end of life" (07/07/07).
  
• Excerpt: "Recently, The Rev. Joy Gatling and I gave comfort and counsel to a young man whose fiancé had been brutally murdered in her apartment. The suddenness of this tragedy happening to someone he dearly loved had emotionally crushed him. The thought of not ever seeing her again was what grieved him the most. He was comforted when we explained why he would see his beloved again.* * *"
  

• Death & Dying in Islam -- Muslim attitudes towards death.

• Dying, Yamaraja and Yamadutas + terminal restlessness -- Vedic/Hindu view

• Eisenberg, Daniel Eisenberg, MD, "End of Life Choices in Halacha",
  

• Note: One of various "Jewish Law Articles Examining Halacha, Jewish Issues and Secular Law".

• ElderWeb:

• "Religious Guidance on End of Life Decisions"

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Statement on "End of Life Decisions" (11/09/1992):

  • "With this message, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, upon the recommendation of the Division for Church in Society, addresses some timely aspects of end-of-life situations and encourages further deliberation on the topic throughout this church. This message does not deal with the full scope of these complex matters. It draws upon a relevant social statement, "Death and Dying," of a predecessor church body as basis for the guidance it offers."

• Fischer, Kathleen, Imaging Life After Death: Love That Moves the Sun and Stars:

• Published by Paulist Press (2004), 192 pages.
  
• Synopsis: "The award-winning author, theologian, and psychotherapist Kathleen Fischer illuminates the mystery of the afterlife in Christian and non-Christian (Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, American Indian, among many) traditions in this probing, eloquent, and reassuring meditation drawn from sources as varied as religion, literature--Dante, St. Exupery, Tolkien, Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon--science (quantum physics and cosmology), psychology, personal and professional experiences. The author centers her book on the three questions fundamental to belief in life after death: "What survives death? Do relationships continue beyond death? How does life now relate to life then?" Within this construct, she soberly and lyrically rethinks the meaning of soul, presence, transformation, discussing the imagery of the afterlife -- light, fire, seeds, butterflies, angels -- and the use of portents of the divine found in nature, and experiences of beauty, justice, love, humor and hope, all the while emphasizing that focus on the afterlife, does not absolve us of our commitment to our present life. She shows the same compassionate allegiance to the dying and grieving, in a singular discussion. Completing her work are end chapter prayers and reflections, extensive annotated bibliography and suggestions for further reading."

• "Florida Catholic Declaration on Life and Death":

• Source: This 2001 Declaration updates similar documents published in 1990, 1993 and 1998 by the Florida Catholic Conference. This form is deemed acceptable for Catholics, and conforms with Florida law.

• Gundersen Lutheran "End-of-Life Care":

• Mission:Programs that help health care providers implement advance directives in hospitals.
  

• International Scientific Research into 'Survival after physical death':

• Snynopsis: Overview of research fields, academic documents and publications, science labs & organizations.

• Kramer, Kenneth, The Sacred Art of Dying: How World Religions Understand Death:
  

• Published by Paulist Press (1988), 226 pages.
• Synopsis: "Examines how each of the major religions looks at death by including stories, teachings, and rituals which present a comparative religious meaning of death and afterlife. Written in textbook style with journal exercises at the end of each chapter."
  

• Lamm, Maurice,Jewish Way in Death and Mourning
  

• Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System

• Book by Stephen Kiernan (Nov, 2006).
• Hear also: Interview about end-of-life care broadcast on National Public Radio's Fresh Air.

• Momeyer, Richard W., Confronting Death:

• Published by Indiana University Press (12/01/1988).
• Synopsis: ""This book is valuable and important in bringing conceptual clarification to questions about dealing with death that are so often neglected or mishandled by social scientists and the counseling industry." * * * "An examination of the moral and philosophical issues at work in an individual's confrontation of death, not as a matter of psychological necessity or social conditioning, but as a function of reflection and the search for self-knowledge."

• National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC):

• Mission: Established in 1972, conducts research, consultation, publishing and education to promote human dignity in health care and the life sciences, and derives its message directly from the teachings of the Catholic Church."
• Explanation & Form: Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decisions
• Synopsis: "This pamphlet describes how someone might approach end-of-life decisions in light of the teachings of the Catholic Church. We consider the redemptive nature of suffering, the important difference between morally obligatory and optional means of conserving one's life, the moral and legal status of Advance Medical Directives and Durable Power of Attorney, and the spread of euthanasia advocacy in America today."
• Note: The forms referenced are only available by order from the NCBC Publications Department.
• Postings/Publications:
  
• Correction to the Fifth Edition of Health Care Ethics - "Care of Permanently Unconscious Patients" (01/13/2007).
• Fr. Tad's "Making Sense of Bioethics"
• NCBC's Bioethics FAQ's - Vaccines and "Brain Death"

• Novak David, Ph.D., "Reconciliation at the End of Life":

• Published in the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine (12/16/2002).

• Pennsylvania Catholic Conference:

  • Planning Ahead for End-of-Life Care (Mid-2005)
  • PA Catholic Conference Statement on the Death of Terri Schiavo (03/31/05)
  • PA Bishops Call for Renewed Attention to Advance Directives (03/23/05)
  • PCC, PCHA React to Veto of Living Will Bill (12/02/04)
    

• PCC and PCHA Laud Changes Made to Living Will Law (11/23/04, before Governor's Veto of SB 492)
• Nutrition & Hydration: Moral Considerations -- A Statement of The Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania (Rev. 1999)
  
• Living Will and Proxy For Health Care Decisions (1993)
• Nutrition and Hydration: Moral Considerations (1991)

• Puchalski, Christina, M., A Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality and the Care of the Chronically Ill and Dying:

• Published by Oxford Press (June, 2006).
• Synopsis: "[E]dited and co-authored by Dr. Christina Puchalski, Director and Founder of GWish, [this book] addresses the spiritual issues involved in the care of the chronically ill and dying. The various contributors to the book offer wise insights and practical advice for addressing the pressing spiritual needs of those who are sick or dying."
• Contents: "Part one discusses aspects of spirituality, such as presence, ethics, and relationships. Part two delves into a number of specific religious and theological traditions. Part three offers practical applications and tools, including storytelling, psychotherapy, dance, music, and the arts. Part four focuses on patients' stories and reflections. The book concludes with appendices that have sample advance directives for Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim patients."
  

• Reinis, Arustra, "Reforming the Art of Dying: The ars moriendi in the German Reformation (1519-1528)":

• Synopsis: Written by an assistant professor of religious studies at Missouri State University & published by Ashgate Press (Feb, 2007, 304 pages), this book "examines how Luther instigated a radical transformation in the public's attitudes towards dying and death. * * * Luther realized the righteousness of God is not something with which he punishes sinners, but rather something that God gives to sinners. Basically what Luther did was write books on how to reform all aspect of the Christian life based on this idea that righteousness -- or forgiveness of sins and eternal life -- is a gift. * * * [T]he book will appeal not only to academics, but also to physicians, nurses, hospice workers and others who deal with death and dying in their profession."
• Press Release: "Professor's Book Investigates Changing Beliefs on Death and Dying; New Book Will Appeal to Physicians, Nurses, Hospice Workers, Academics" (02/27/07).
  

• Sulmasy, Daniel P., "Hope and the Care of the Dying Patient: A Catholic, Christian Perspective":
  

• Published in the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine (05/10/2002).

• Tibetan Book of the Dead:

• Synopsis: The Bardo Thodol also spelled Bardo Thotrol, translated as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, for centuries was passed down orally. This ancient text was first put into written form by the legendary Padma Sambhava in the 8th century A.D. Translated, Bardo Thodol means "liberation by hearing on the after death plane". The book acts as a guide for the dead during the state that intervenes death and the next rebirth."
• Resources: Online Exhibition, "The Tibetan Book of the Dead", by the University of Virginia Library (1998); Wikipedia online explanation of the Bardo Thodol.

• Tikkun -- a Jewish Magazine within an Interfaith Movement:

• "Dying in the Spirit: A Progressive View of Decision-Making at Life's End", by Barbara Coombs Lee (Mar-Apr, 2007 Issue)
• Excerpt: "My preferred ethical guidelines would apply these principles equally and openly to palliative care, terminal sedation, withdrawal of life support, and aid in dying. The two crucial ethical questions would be: *Is the proposed action wholly in service of love and compassion? *Does the proposed action follow the wishes of the patient and affirm her inherent worth and dignity?If patient, family, doctors, and others agree the answers are an unequivocal 'yes,' the action is both moral and ethical in my book, even if death is an intended consequence. Sound public policy would apply additional constraints in the form of eligibility guidelines and procedural safeguards, and these would elaborate and refine the basic ethics analysis."
  

• Toolkit of Instruments to Measure End-of-Life Care -- Spirituality: One of the Key Concerns of Dying Patients:
  

• Published by Brown University's Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" (2001):

• Synopsis: " This fourth edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services was developed by the Committee on Doctrine of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and approved as the national code by the full body of bishops at its June 2001 General Meeting. This edition of the Directives, which replaces all previous editions, is recommended for implementation by the diocesan bishop and is authorized for publication."
  
• Excerpt: " These Directives presuppose our statement Health and Health Care published in 1981. There we presented the theological principles that guide the Church's vision of health care, called for all Catholics to share in the healing mission of the Church, expressed our full commitment to the health care ministry, and offered encouragement to all those who are involved in it. Now, with American health care facing even more dramatic changes, we reaffirm the Church's commitment to health care ministry and the distinctive Catholic identity of the Church's institutional health care services. The purpose of these Ethical and Religious Directives then is twofold: first, to reaffirm the ethical standards of behavior in health care that flow from the Church's teaching about the dignity of the human person; second, to provide authoritative guidance on certain moral issues that face Catholic health care today."
• Commentary: "End-of-life teaching more than 'dilemmas, controversies,' priest says", by Nancy Frazier O'Brien, published by the Catholic News Service.
  

• USA Today:

• "Health system struggles with spiritual care", by Liz Szabo (02/15/07).
• Sample: "For patients who are dying of cancer, few things are as profound as their relationship with God. Among the terminally ill, studies show, being at peace with God is more important than just about anything else, ranking only marginally lower than the desire to ease physical pain. Tracy Balboni says she was inspired to study the spiritual needs of dying patients because of her work as a radiation oncologist. About 40% of the services she provides, she says, go to patients who have little to no hope of cure but who need relief for pain or other symptoms. * * * [R]esearch also suggests that hospitals, doctors and even religious communities fail to support the spiritual needs of their cancer patients at the end of life."

• Wald, George,"Origin of Death":

• Synopsis: A biologist explains life and death in different kinds of organisms in relation to evolution (1970).

• Wiseman OSB, Fr. James, & Rev. Heng Sure, Ph.D., Reflections on Death and Dying: Buddhist and Catholic Teachings and Practices:

• Source: Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, Bulletin 77, July 2006
• Topics: "Realizing the Deathless or Seeking Rebirth in the Pure Land?"; and "Buddhist Views on Life, Dying, and What Comes Next".
• Synopsis: "These two presentations on death and dying constituted the 'public event' of the Second Monks in the West Conference held at Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota." (10/26-29/06).
  

• "Why is there death and suffering?"

• Synopsis: Death viewed fom a creationist point of view.