Oregon. No other jurisdiction has adopted the mea-
sure, though many legislatures have debated the
subject.
Further Reading
Hillyard, Daniel, and John Dombrink.Dying Right:
The Death with Dignity Movement. New York: Rout-
ledge, 2001. A comprehensive examination of
the “death with dignity” movement in the United
States and worldwide, including an in-depth
consideration of the Oregon experience.
McKhann, Charles F.A Time to Die: The Place for Physi-
cian Assistance. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University
Press, 1999. McKhann, a cancer surgeon, bases
his recommendations on interviews with termi-
nally ill patients.
Smith, Wesley J.Forced Exit: The Slipper y Slope from As-
sisted Suicide to Legalized Murder. Dallas: Spence,
- The author argues that physician-assisted
suicide reflects the failure of contemporary soci-
ety to care for and respect elderly, dying, and dis-
abled persons.
Snyder, Lois, and Arthur L. Caplan, eds.Assisted Sui-
cide: Finding Common Ground. Bloomington: Indi-
ana University Press, 2002. A collection of well-
reasoned papers presented at a symposium at the
University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics.
Weir, Robert F., ed.Physician-Assisted Suicide. Bloom-
ington: Indiana University Press, 1997. Weir pro-
vides valuable historical background and a so-
phisticated discussion of legal and policy issues
involved in physician-assisted suicide.
Gilbert Geis
See also Alzheimer’s disease; Cancer research; El-
der abuse; Health care; Heaven’s Gate mass suicide;
Kevorkian, Jack; Liberalism in U.S. politics; Medi-
cine; Supreme Court decisions.
Pitt, Brad
Identification American actor
Born December 18, 1963; Shawnee, Oklahoma
Beginning in the 1990’s, Pitt proved himself to be among
the most effective, conscientious, and versatile actors in
Hollywood.
Brad Pitt spent the 1990’s consciously molding his
career in ways that would reflect his extraordinary
acting ability. Driven by a compelling work ethic, Pitt
acted in several undistinguished films and a number
of television shows before 1991, when he appeared
for a fleeting fifteen minutes as J. D. inThelma and
Louise, which won an Academy Award for Best Origi-
nal Screenplay.
Although Pitt’s role was small, his performance,
particularly his love scene with Geena Davis, pro-
jected his sexuality and charisma so authentically
that he clearly established his star quality. Remark-
ably handsome, the blond-haired, blue-eyed Pitt
with his perfect physique quickly became a sex sym-
bol, but this is precisely what Pitt feared and strug-
gled to thwart. He could have had a comfortable ca-
reer playing shallow pretty-boy roles, but he was too
serious an actor to do so.
In 1991, Pitt starred as a guitar-playing teen icon
with his hair in a huge pompadour inJohnny Suede.
Pitt attracted the attention of actor-director Robert
Redford, who cast him in the role of Paul MacLean, a
champion fly fisherman, inA River Runs Through It672 Pitt, Brad The Nineties in America
Brad Pitt poses with his Golden Globe Award at the 1996 awards
ceremony. He won Best Supporting Actor for his role inTwelve
Monkeys.(AP/Wide World Photos)