Death and Dying

More and more Americans are looking for opportunities to exert some measure of control over where and how they die. In this program, veteran PBS journalist Bill Moyers unravels the complexities underlying the many choices at the end of life, including the bitter debate over physician-assisted suicide. Three patients, their families, and their doctors discuss some of the hardest decisions, including how to pay for care, what constitutes humane treatment, and how to balance dying and dignity. In the end, do these patients die the way they wanted? Yes...and no. The DVD version of this program also includes a special video introduction by Mr. Moyers. (87 minutes)

What does it mean to die? Is death a form of transition to a higher plane, mere physical dissolution, or something else altogether? In this program, Robert J. Kastenbaum, Professor of Communication at Arizona State University; historian Michel Vovelle, of the Sorbonne; anthropologist Luce Des Aulniers; and clinical psychologist Marie-Frederique Bacque delve into the ways in which science and religion have attempted to come to terms with humankind's ultimate enigma. Viewed from a cultural point of view, topics under consideration include mortality, mourning, eternity, and life itself, which most people hope to prolong at any cost. (53 minutes)

When a loved one's fate lies in another's hands, the decisions can be overwhelming. This program, hosted by NewsHour's Ray Suarez, follows two families as they grapple with life-and-death decisions inside an ICU. A doctor, an ethicist, and others help these families through the process of making decisions on behalf of those who are no longer able to communicate their wishes. La Vera Crawley, of Stanford University's bioethics department, helps the families better understand the difficult decisions they are expected to make. (26 minutes)

Death, which sooner or later comes to all, is treated as a strangely taboo subject in America. In this program, veteran PBS journalist Bill Moyers describes the search for new ways of thinking-and talking-about dying. Forgoing the usual reluctance that most Americans show toward speaking about death, patients and medical professionals alike come forward to examine the end of life with honesty, courage, and even humor, demonstrating that dying can be an incredibly rich experience for both the terminally ill and their loved ones. The DVD version of this program also includes a special video introduction by Mr. Moyers. (87 minutes)

In this acclaimed four-part series, veteran PBS journalist Bill Moyers reports on the growing movement in America to improve care for people who are dying. Using interviews and research from across the country, each program describes the intimate experiences of patients, families, and caregivers as they struggle to infuse life's ultimate rite of passage with compassion and comfort. The DVD version of this series also includes a special video introduction by Mr. Moyers. This powerful series is available exclusively through Films for the Humanities & Sciences. 4-part series, 87 minutes each.

This informative program explores the choices open to terminally ill patients and their families, presenting the options available for comfortable end-of-life care that attends to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Medical experts and caregivers discuss the difficult choices that arise, including the moral and legal controversies and medical options available when a cure is no longer an option. Important information about living wills and health care proxies is also provided. (27 minutes)