How Aid in Dying Became Medical, Not Moral

October 24, 2023

(New York Times) – A phrase like “medical aid in dying,” they concluded, would reassure patients that they were taking part in a process that was regulated and medically sanctioned. “Medicine has that legitimating power, like it or not,” says Anita Hannig, an anthropologist at Brandeis University and author of the book “The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America.” “That really removes a lot of the stigma.” By contrast, words like “suicide” could have a devastating effect on patients and their families, as Dr. Hannig learned in her research. (Read More)