The mediated discourse and voice of euthanasia: the Israeli media as a case study

Abstract

Euthanasia is an important social and quality of life issue. However, it is highly controversial and thus continuously debated especially given its legitimacy and legality differ between countries. Little is known about the role media plays concerning this topic. To fill this gap, this study applies a mixed methods approach to a case study of Israeli media, including a quantitative content analysis of news articles (to measure the discourse of ‘civil participation’), a thematic analysis of news articles (to examine the ‘voice’) and a quantitative content analysis of Facebook comments (to measure ‘being heard’). Results indicate that while the media highly enables the media capability of ‘voice’ (both ‘voicing’ and ‘being heard’), it limits the media capability of ‘civil participation’ to a narrow array of discourse, hindering the social debate. These results reveal the role the media plays regarding euthanasia, integral to individuals’ quality of life through the realisation of their media capabilities, and in relation to the act of euthanasia itself.

Views, Attitudes and Challenges When Supporting a Family Member in Their Decision to Travel to Switzerland to Receive Aid-In-Dying

“…Despite assisted suicide being forbidden in Israel, and little discourse and media coverage on the topic [ 44 ], some Israelis choose to embark on suicide tourism [ 45 ], as seen in this study. While they have a strong desire to end their lives, based on wish to die and the ideal of an aesthetic death, that could be secured in such a journey [ 22 , 23 ], they still seek a certain degree of legitimacy and acceptance from someone close.…”

Attitudes toward the Legalization of Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…In South Korea, EAS is illegal and considered a crime against life, but it is also a controversial topic subject to a lively bioethical debate [6,12,16,18]. A Korean Supreme Court case that ordered physicians to remove an elderly woman in a persistent vegetative state from a ventilator in 2009 led to the enactment of the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients at the End-of-Life in 2016 [6,19,20].…”

DataSheet1.docx

“…Despite assisted suicide being forbidden in Israel, and little discourse and media coverage on the topic [44], some Israelis choose to embark on suicide tourism [45], as seen in this study. While they have a strong desire to end their lives, based on wish to die and the ideal of an aesthetic death, that could be secured in such a journey [22,23], they still seek a certain degree of legitimacy and acceptance from someone close.…”