Issues of life and death such as abortion, assisted suicide, capital punishment and others are among the most contentious in many societies. Whose rights are protected? How do these rights and protections change over time, and who makes those decisions?

Based on Professor Sheldon Ekland-Olson’s award-winning and hugely popular undergraduate course at The University of Texas, Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides?: Abortion, Neonatal Care, Assisted Dying, and Capital Punishment explores these questions and the fundamentally sociological processes which underlie the quest for morality and justice in human societies. Ekland-Olson’s goal is not to advocate any particular moral “high ground,” but to shed light on the social movements and social processes which are at the root of these seemingly personal moral questions.

Dr. Sheldon Ekland-Olson is the Audre and Bernard Centennial Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, where he served as the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Executive Vice President and Provost. He is the winner of numerous teaching awards, and one of his classes was once listed among the 10 Hottest Courses in the Nation. His previous publications include The Rope, The Chair and the Needle, Texas Prisons, and Justice Under Pressure.

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides?: Abortion, Neonatal Care, Assisted Dying, and Capital Punishment is available on October 24, 2011 by Routledge.