TY - JOUR

T1 - Older People’s Discourses About Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Foucauldian Exploration

AU - Lamers, Carolien

AU - Williams, Rebecca

PY - 2015/7/28

Y1 - 2015/7/28

N2 - Purpose of the Study: This study aims to contribute an alternative understanding of theposition of older people in the euthanasia and assisted suicide (EU/AS) debate.Design and Methods: Seven interviews were analyzed using Foucauldian discourseanalysis, to explore concepts like knowledge, power, subjectification and surveillance.Results: The participants presented a “confused and conflicted” discourse, expressingthe view that EU/AS is a family affair, whilst also articulating a strong sense of selfdetermination.Although a discourse of the medicalization of dying through medicalcontrol and surveillance was endorsed, an alternative discourse of “dying outside themedical gaze” emerged. Participants, who were in favor of EU/AS, felt “voiceless,” asapparent double standards were applied in the debate, and powerful others, for example,physicians and politicians, seemed reluctant to engage. Within an “aged death”discourse, the anticipated dependency on poor care from (professional) others, madeparticipants consider EU/AS as ways of avoiding this stage of life and the associatedloss of dignity.Implications: By using Foucauldian discourse analysis, alternative power relationshipswere revealed which might give a different interpretation to the concept of the “slipperyslope.” Societal discourses and related behaviors, which devalue the dependent and old,might become internalized by older people, leading them to consider EU/AS as preferableend-of-life options.

AB - Purpose of the Study: This study aims to contribute an alternative understanding of theposition of older people in the euthanasia and assisted suicide (EU/AS) debate.Design and Methods: Seven interviews were analyzed using Foucauldian discourseanalysis, to explore concepts like knowledge, power, subjectification and surveillance.Results: The participants presented a “confused and conflicted” discourse, expressingthe view that EU/AS is a family affair, whilst also articulating a strong sense of selfdetermination.Although a discourse of the medicalization of dying through medicalcontrol and surveillance was endorsed, an alternative discourse of “dying outside themedical gaze” emerged. Participants, who were in favor of EU/AS, felt “voiceless,” asapparent double standards were applied in the debate, and powerful others, for example,physicians and politicians, seemed reluctant to engage. Within an “aged death”discourse, the anticipated dependency on poor care from (professional) others, madeparticipants consider EU/AS as ways of avoiding this stage of life and the associatedloss of dignity.Implications: By using Foucauldian discourse analysis, alternative power relationshipswere revealed which might give a different interpretation to the concept of the “slipperyslope.” Societal discourses and related behaviors, which devalue the dependent and old,might become internalized by older people, leading them to consider EU/AS as preferableend-of-life options.

KW - Assisted dying

KW - Foucault

KW - qualitative

KW - Healing

KW - Slippery Slope

U2 - doi:10.1093/geront/gnv102

DO - doi:10.1093/geront/gnv102

M3 - Article

VL - 56

SP - 1072

EP - 1081

JO - Gerontologist

JF - Gerontologist

SN - 0016-9013

IS - 6

ER -