Euthanasia: sociological perspectives

The potential of medicine to intervene to prolong or shorten the life of those considered to be dying or of those whose life is rated as of little or even negative value has only recently surfaced. It is an issue likely to affect society and the normative social relationships which that society believes it is duty to promote. It is probable that, covertly, members of the medical profession have long played a role in speeding up the process of dying, with or without the consent of affected individuals. The openness, however, with which the moral issues involved in hastening or prolonging life by medical means are now discussed is a late 20th century phenomenon. Sociologists are beginning to study the circumstances surrounding the issues and the wider societal implications of possible changes in the law, professional practices and normative values. Their work may well begin to influence public policy as well as private practice.