Discrimination and Assisted Dying
摘要
This first section starts off by clarifying how the terminology of assisted dying and discrimination will be used throughout the book, drawing particular attention on the analytical account of discrimination developed by Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen. The key idea behind this section is to determine whether or not specific instances of inequality of access to assisted dying are actually discriminatory, as they are usually assumed to be in the literature. Three cases where discrimination is usually brought up are reviewed, those of disability, mental disorders, and existential suffering. I then move on to two less evident social groups which I argue are in fact subject to discrimination in access, those of rural communities and low-income groups. A mapping of discrimination in assisted dying is then provided to summarize the conclusions from the analysis. Such mapping is then refined to highlight the conceptual and normative differences between the different kinds of discrimination seen throughout the chapter.