Is Death a Right or a Risk?: Examining Ableist Biases in MAiD Debate

Author: Ava Polakoff

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 62

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) has gained recent attention as more policies are implemented allowing individuals to end their lives. For disabled individuals, this legislation raises concerns about ableist biases’ influence on decision-making. Some scholars view MAiD as a compassionate response to suffering, while critics argue it devalues disabled individuals’ lives and oversimplifies complex ethical dilemmas, perpetuating harmful attitudes. Although ableist biases in the MAiD debate have been examined, a gap remains in understanding how these biases impact perspectives of disabilities that influence legislation and medical decisions. By analyzing personal narratives such as "First Person: Living with Disabilities in the Age of MAiD", bioethics scholarship, legal analyses, and media representations of disabilities, this research explores the extent to which ableist biases influence attitudes in the MAiD debate for individuals with disabilities, emphasizing that these biases shape estimates of quality of life, contributing to policies that ignore disabled individuals diverse experiences.