Preface. Notes on Contributors. An Introduction to the Value of Autonomy in Law: M.N.S. Sellers Autonomy to Choose What Constitutes Family: Oxymoron or Basic Right?: June Carbone Approaches to Autonomy in Capital Punishment and Assisted Suicide: Kandis Scott Courts in Search of Legitimacy: the Case of Wrongful Life: Marc A. Loth Autonomy of Defense and Defense Counsel: Philip Traest and Tessa Gombeer Checks and Balances in the Law of International Organizations: Jan Klabbers

By juxtaposing European and American concepts of autonomy in the law as they are applied to families, capital punishment and criminal trials, authors reveal the common values that justify all legal systems. This book sheds new light on the fundamental purpose of law by examining how European and American lawyers, judges, and citizens actually apply and should apply legal autonomy to litigation, legislation, and the law itself.