Alternative and activist new media

Côté does not attempt to provide a structural analysis of the driving forces underlying the euthanasia controversy, such as the medicalisation of dying, the role of religious belief and church hierarchies, the relationship between the individual and the state or the dynamics of social movements.Nor does he probe into the complicated ethical and legal debates about life, death and dying.His focus is less on why things are happening and more on what is happening, mainly on the side of right-to-die campaigners.He has provided the best available account of the international death-with-dignity movement.In the final chapter of In Search of Gentle Death, Côté steps away from his usual narrative style and outlines the case for death with dignity, presenting it as the only humane option.His concern is less with confronting euthanasia opponents than with reconciling the split among the proponents between those favouring the legal and technology routes.His plea may not make much difference to campaigners with entrenched positions, but for both them and others, the outstanding value of the book is in portraying what is actually happening, and giving a human face to many of the committed campaigners involved.