Abortion and Assisted Dying: Debates that Echo Each Other

Abortion and assisted dying (euthanasia), two practices situated at the opposite ends of life, generate intense ethical and political debates. Despite their fundamental differences, they raise common questions about autonomy, dignity, and the influence of society on individual choices.

In Relational Autonomy in Bioethics: The Case of Late-Term Abortion and Medical Assistance in Dying (2022), Bernier, Bernatchez, and Sweeney Beaudry show that decisions regarding abortion or medical assistance in dying are never purely individual. They are instead relational and intersubjective: influenced by relatives, as well as social and organizational norms. For example, both abortion and medical assistance in dying can partly be justified by a desire not to impose a burden on one’s loved ones (e.g., parents or children).

In Disability and the Complexity of Choice in the Ethics of Abortion and Voluntary Euthanasia (2021), Shane Clifton shows, using the social model of disability, that public support for abortion and medical assistance in dying is often influenced by ableist prejudice. He criticizes both the pro-life movement, which protects life without ensuring a favorable context, and the pro-choice movement, which ignores social inequalities. He calls for a society where the lives of people with disabilities are valued and where the barriers to a fulfilling life despite disability are removed. According to him, these are prerequisites for decisions to be truly free.

In a society where the value of a life is often measured by its capacity to contribute economically or remain autonomous, lives perceived as “dependent,” “non-productive,” or “costly” may be implicitly judged as less worthy of being sustained. This perspective can, consciously or not, influence public discourse, health policies, and individual choices, reinforcing the idea that ending a life can be socially acceptable when the expected quality of life or potential contribution does not align with dominant norms.