For many people, it is of paramount importance that life is preserved in every sense of the word. But for terminally ill patients, life seems hopeless to the point where death becomes their only way out of suffering and excruciating pain. This paper identifies two terminally ill patients’ cases and their pursuit to fight for their right-to-die. To identify their cases, this paper examines literature on physician assisted suicide and active euthanasia coupled with the news articles.
This examination indicates that there are vast distinctions between the two methods terminally patients can use to die. These methods, arguments for and against, and the media representation of both patients’ cases are the central platforms of this paper. I hypothesized that the media portrayal of terminally ill patients’ right to physician assisted suicide or voluntary active euthanasia is positive and this portrayal is geared towards support for those patients’ right-to-die. This hypothesis hinges on media articles on Brittany Maynard and Grace Sung Eun Lee cases as portrayed in online news sources.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Physician Assisted Suicide and Voluntary Active Euthanasia
2.2 Proposing Perspectives
2.3 Opposing Perspectives
2.4 The case of Grace Lee
2.5 The case of Brittany Maynard
3. RESEARCH QUESTION
4. RESEARCH METHODLOGY
4.1 Methods
5. FINDINGS
5.1 Findings and interpretation of Opinion Questionnaire Results
6. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper investigates how online news media represent the stories of terminally ill patients advocating for their right-to-die, specifically analyzing the cases of Brittany Maynard and Grace Sung Eun Lee. The research aims to determine whether media portrayals of these narratives are primarily positive, neutral, or negative, while also examining public opinion on physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and voluntary active euthanasia (VAE) through a social survey.
- Analysis of media framing and tone in online news coverage of right-to-die cases.
- Evaluation of the influence of individual autonomy versus the sanctity of life in end-of-life debates.
- Comparison of specific case studies: Grace Sung Eun Lee and Brittany Maynard.
- Assessment of public awareness and moral perceptions regarding PAS and VAE.
- Investigation of the intersection between religious beliefs and end-of-life medical decisions.
Excerpt from the Book
The case of Grace Lee
Grace Lee was a promising bank manager for Bank of America, at age 28 she was diagnosed with a tumor in her brain stem, an incurable disease which paralyzed her from the neck down (Stebner, 2012; Pearson, 2012). It is noted in both the Daily Mail and New York Daily News reports that Grace and her family moved to America from Seoul, South Korean. The reports further indicate that Grace was very vibrant and that a month before she fell ill she was training for the famous New York City marathon. Grace was treated with chemotherapy and radiation which failed to reduce the size of her tumor; she then suffered a seizure and was placed on a ventilator (Stebner, 2012; Pearson, 2012). Doctors gave Grace a few months to live and she was placed in a palliative care unit. Cultural and religious differences played vital roles in this case (Stebner, 2012).
Nurses and doctors at North Shore repeated stated that Grace uttered the words “I want to die” and cried “take this tube out, please, please, please.” However, reports indicate that Grace’s parents are devoted Christians who religiously reject suicide for their daughter. They believed their daughter was seriously medicated and she said these things because she was depressed (Stebner, 2012; Pearson, 2012). New York Daily News labeled the situation “tug-of-war” between the parents’ religious beliefs which do not support suicide and their daughters wish to die that her doctors were willing to abide by. In this case the patient’s autonomy was override by her parents’ religious beliefs, and court orders interjected to make decisions regarding the patient’s right-to-die battle.
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: This chapter defines the core concepts of physician-assisted suicide and voluntary active euthanasia and outlines the paper's goal of exploring media influence on these sensitive end-of-life topics.
LITERATURE REVIEW: This section details the existing medical, legal, and ethical frameworks regarding assisted death, including the historical controversy of Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the specific legal provisions like the Death with Dignity Act.
RESEARCH QUESTION: This short section poses the central query regarding the sentiment (positive, neutral, or negative) of media coverage concerning terminally ill patients' right-to-die stories.
RESEARCH METHODLOGY: This chapter describes the qualitative content analysis of news articles and the quantitative approach involving an online social survey used to gather data for the study.
FINDINGS: This section presents the analysis of news article tones and lengths, alongside visual data from the questionnaire illustrating public opinions on PAS and VAE.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This concluding chapter synthesizes the findings, noting that media portrayals are often sympathetic but remain secondary to the deep-seated cultural and religious values held by the public regarding life and death.
Keywords
Terminally ill patient, physician assisted suicide, voluntary active euthanasia, media representation, right-to-die, Brittany Maynard, Grace Sung Eun Lee, end-of-life decisions, medical ethics, autonomy, sanctity of life, public opinion, palliative care, questionnaire, communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper primarily investigates how online news media represent the controversial right-to-die stories of terminally ill patients, using the cases of Brittany Maynard and Grace Sung Eun Lee as specific points of analysis.
What are the primary thematic areas explored in this work?
The main themes include medical ethics regarding end-of-life care, the legal frameworks of PAS and VAE, the role of media in shaping public opinion, and the influence of personal religious or cultural values on these decisions.
What is the main research question of the study?
The research asks whether the media portrayal of terminally ill patients' right-to-die cases is predominantly positive, neutral, or negative.
Which scientific methods were employed to conduct this research?
The author used a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative content analysis of selected online news articles with a quantitative social survey distributed via an online questionnaire.
What content is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines historical and legal backgrounds, detailed case studies of two patients, media tone analysis, and empirical results gathered from the public opinion survey.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include terminally ill patient, physician assisted suicide, voluntary active euthanasia, media representation, and end-of-life decisions.
How do the cases of Grace Lee and Brittany Maynard differ in terms of media reception?
Grace Lee's case was characterized by a "tug-of-war" between her expressed desire to die and her parents' religious objections, while Brittany Maynard's story was widely covered as a public advocacy effort for the Death with Dignity movement.
What was the general conclusion regarding the media's power in this debate?
The study concludes that while media portrayals are often sympathetic and powerful, they do not necessarily supersede the deep-seated religious and cultural beliefs held by the audience regarding the sanctity of life.
- Quote paper
- Asheida Charles (Author), 2014, Media Portrayal of Terminally Ill Patients' Right to Die, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/311256
