The social–political challenges behind the wish to die in older people who consider their lives to be completed and no longer worth living

an article by Els van Wijngaarden, Anne Goossensen and Carlo Leget (University of Humanistic Studies, The Netherlands) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 28 Issue 4 (October 2018)

Abstract

In the Netherlands, physician-assisted dying has been legalized since 2002.

Currently, an increasing number of Dutch citizens are in favour of a more relaxed interpretation of the law. Based on an ethos of self-determination and autonomy, there is a strong political lobby for the legal right to assisted dying when life is considered to be completed and no longer worth living.

Building on previous empirical research, this article provides a critical ethical reflection upon this social issue.

In the first part, we discuss the following question: what is the lived experience of older people who consider their lives to be completed and no longer worth living? We describe the reported loss of a sense of autonomy, dignity and independence in the lives of these older people.

In the second part, from an ethics of care stance, we analyse the emerging social and political challenges behind the wish to die. Empirically grounded, the authors argue that the debate on ‘completed life in old age’ should primarily focus not on the question of whether or not to legitimize a self-directed death but on how to build an inclusive society where people may feel less unneeded, useless and marginalized.

Full text (PDF 11pp)

---

Comfort in sadness

an article by Onora O’Neill published in RSA Journal (Summer 2013)

We should end our preoccupation with pushing through ‘assisted dying’ legislation and be more concerned with ensuring everyone has a contented and dignified old age


Every year, more than half a million people die in the UK. This means that the quality of end-of-life care that is available when people need it matters for a huge number of people at any given time and, in the end, for all of us. Yet a great deal of public discussion of end-of-life care in recent years has focused on a much smaller group of people – 600 to 1,200 a year on various estimates – who might choose to end their lives by asking for assisted dying, if it were made lawful.

Full text (HTML)

---