Maybe for unbearable suffering: Diverse racial, ethnic and cultural perspectives of assisted dying. A scoping review

Abstract

Background: Assisted dying, also commonly known as euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, is legal in many countries. Interest in assisted dying is growing due to evolving societal understandings of a good death and a desire for choice. Ethico-legal perspectives are well-known, but as societies become more heterogenous, a greater understanding of the perspectives of people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds is needed. Aim: To explore perspectives of people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds about assisted dying. Design: Scoping review with narrative synthesis. The protocol was registered with Open Science Framework. Data sources: Medline, CINAHL Complete, PsycINFO and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global were searched from inception to May 2023. Citations were independently assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Of the 17 included studies, perspectives of assisted dying were presented according to religion, religiosity, spirituality, race, ethnicity and ancestry. Perspectives were diverse, presenting more as a spectrum, with multiple intersections and interconnections. Support and/or opposition for assisted dying differed according to cultural attributes, but even amongst those with similar cultural attributes, perspectives differed according to life experiences and notions of suffering. Conclusion: Perspectives on assisted dying are dynamic and evolving. Even where assisted dying is legalised, individual’s cultural attributes contribute to unique perspectives of assisted dying as an end-of-life option. Thus, understanding a person’s culture, beliefs, expectations and choices in illness, treatment goals and care is fundamental, extending beyond what may be already considered as part of clinician-patient care relationships and routine advance care planning.