Abstract
The ethics and legalization of Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)—the practice of intentionally ending one's life with the assistance of a healthcare professional—remain highly debated across countries and contexts.Although medical and public health research has explored heterogeneity in support for MAiD, economic perspectives on the issue are limited. We study the role of economic and non-economic factors in affecting public support for MAiD. We propose a conceptual framework in which an observer’s evaluation of MAiD depends on the patient’s well-being, societal impacts, and moral judgments. We then conduct three experimental studies with U.S. participants that vary key factors of the decision environment. We find that while deteriorations in health and financial circumstances equally reduce perceived well-being, financial impairments generate less support for MAiD than poor health conditions. We also show that that participants are more supportive of MAiD when poor health outcomes are medically unavoidable rather than financially driven, reinforcing the primacy of health over financial hardship in these judgments. Finally, a third study demonstrates that concerns about public healthcare expenditures do not affect support for MAiD. Our findings suggest that, even in economically significant contexts, moral and ethical considerations dominate financial trade-offs in public attitudes toward MAiD.
The seminar will be held in room 1249 (12th floor) at Eilert Sundts Hus. The address is Moltke Moes vei 31.