Young people's perspectives on assisted dying and its potential inclusion of minors

Author:

Liu Kevin1,Siedlikowski Sophia1ORCID,Mellett James1,Carnevale Franco A.2ORCID,Macdonald Mary Ellen3ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences McGill University Montréal Quebec Canada

2. Ingram School of Nursing McGill University Montréal Quebec Canada

3. Faculty of Medicine Dalhousie University Halifax Nova Scotia Canada

Abstract

AbstractAssisted dying legislation is available to support adult deaths in multiple international jurisdictions. In Canada, a parliamentary committee has recommended extending Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) legislation to include ‘competent mature minors’. Even though such a policy change would affect young people, to date formal discussions about MAID for minors have excluded them. No empirical studies have elicited youth perspectives on including them in future legislation. This qualitative descriptive study uses focus groups to explore young people's perspectives on MAID and its potential extension to include minors using methodological and theoretical commitments to participatory research and children's agency. Our participants explored philosophical and medical dimensions of MAID, including pain and suffering, the choice to die, and how MAID enables a peaceful, controlled death. They unpacked the concept of maturity vis‐à‐vis age and a child/adult binary, using these reflections to posit safeguards for ensuring minors' MAID requests would be fairly evaluated. Finally, they explored relational dimensions of dying, paying particular attention to the impact of MAID on grievers. Our results illustrate that young people are capable and keen to contribute toward discussions and decisions about MAID. Our study supports the participation of young people in any extension of MAID, as well as in other high‐stakes matters that may affect them, challenging dominant assumptions that underestimate their capacities to do so.

Funder

Faculty of Medicine, McGill University

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Life-span and Life-course Studies,Education,Health (social science)

Reference32 articles.

Cited by 1 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. Enhancing children's participation in dental research: A commentary;Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology;2024-05

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