Lady Hale & Richard Coker

Few contemporary debates have seen such a polarisation of views in recent years as ‘the right to die’. The Petworth Literary Festival examines the issue focusing on two recent publications, variously Lady Hale and Rowan Williams’ Do we have the right to die? in which the writers take opposing views, and public health doctor Richard Coker’s Timor Mortis in which he contemplate the fragility of life, and explores the myriad ways in which we confront our mortality, whether through stoicism, suffering, dignity, humour or grief.

‘[A] nuanced and thoughtful contribution to the debate … featuring pro (Hale) and anti (Williams) arguments that acknowledge the strengths of the other side’s position while meticulously identifying its weaknesses’ Andrew Anthony, Observer

‘Coker dissects death and our fear of it with a scholarly scalpel drawing from a range of disciplines. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the subject of death and the assisted dying debate today.' Baroness Anne Marie Rafferty, Former president of the Royal College of Nursing.