title: Self-determination, the right to die, and culture: a literature review.
abstract: Self-determination is a primary ethical principle underlying social work practice in health care settings. Since the 1970s, a right-to-die movement that shares the social work commitment to self-determination has grown and influences end-of-life care decisions. However, the role of culture is notably absent in discussions of the right to die. A literature review was conducted to explore self-determination and the role of culture in the context of the history of the right-to-die movement. A total of 54 articles met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Of the total, 21 related to self-determination, and 12 related to ethnicity and culture at the end of life. A history based on the review of the right-to-die movement is presented. The review found that social workers support passively hastening death and that views of self-determination are affected by both law and culture. In response, social workers will face three tasks: (1) becoming more public in their support for client self-determination as an important standard in end-of-life care, (2) being more explicit in support of diverse cultural traditions in end-of-life decision making, and (3) expanding their traditional educational and bridging roles between families and medical personnel.
authors.affiliation: Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. andymcc@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McCormick
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003469:Culture; D028601:Euthanasia, Active / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012297:Right to Die / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012947:Social Work; D035521:Supreme Court Decisions; D014481:United States