Nothing more to do: euthanasia, general practice, and end-of-life discourse in the Netherlands.
Euthanasia in the Netherlands, which has been legal since 1984, is often talked about; yet, only rarely does it culminate in a euthanasia death. In 2001, for example, only 1 in 10 of those who initiated a request for euthanasia with their physician died a euthanasia death. Using data gathered during a 15-month ethnographic study with general practitioners, families, and patients, this article explores the practice of euthanasia, a practice based mainly in talk. Applying a Foucauldian concept of discourse, I will examine euthanasia as a script for how people think, feel, and act at the end of Dutch life, attempting to answer the question: What are Dutch people talking about when they talk about euthanasia? This article is intended to provide ethnographic data not currently available on the modern-day practice of euthanasia and to add to a growing body of literature on death, dying, and the role of the state.
Norwood
Frances
F
Inclusion Research Institute in Washington. D.C., USA. francesnorwood@aol.com
D003142:Communication; D033101:Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018447:Medical Futility / Q000523:psychology; D009426:Netherlands; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations