Every day thousands of Americans die from fatal diseases for which lifesaving treatments exist but are ruled by the FDA as too "dangerous" for distribution. But how does that standard apply to someone in the terminal stages of cancer or Lou Gehrig's disease? Praised by New York Times bestselling author Ben Shapiro as "vital and fascinating," Shapiro says, "Olsen argues persuasively that the federal government kills Americans with its useless bureaucracy and counterproductive belief that the government must protect sick Americans from making their own decisions regarding their sickness."

The Right to Try is filled with stories of heroism and heartbreak—of courageous Americans who beat illnesses no one thought could be defeated and patients who were denied life-saving treatments by the government ostensibly for their own protection. Olsen goes inside the bureaucracy that is stopping millions from accessing lifesaving treatments and describes the ongoing national campaign to change these laws state-by-state. This powerful and informative book is clarion call for reform that definitively answers the question: When your mortality hangs in the balance, should you have the right to try to save your life?