Do-It-Yourself Death Lessons

A manual on suicide becomes a best seller, sparking new debate on whether the terminally ill have the right to die

Most how-to books instruct readers in ways to refinish furniture, profit from a recession, communicate with one's in-laws or cook some exotic ethnic casserole. But one of the hottest tomes of the moment -- it has sold out its first printing of 41,000 copies and will top next week's best-seller list of how-to and advice volumes in the New York Times -- explains, step by step, how to end a human life.

The book, Final Exit, is a manual for committing suicide or helping someone else to do so. It includes charts of lethal dosages for 18 prescription drugs, primarily pain...

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