OH DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING: MEDICAL AID IN DYING AS AN ARS MORIENDI

Before the rise of the medicalization of death, more often than not, death is thought of as a sort of darkness that claims its victims. Borrowing from Christian theology, death is considered the final curse to be broken. “Oh death, where is your sting?” the Scriptures taunt as they envision the final resurrection and the ushering in of everlasting life. “Oh death, where is your victory?” In a paradoxical turn of events, the legalization of “Medical Aid in Dying” gives those who are willfully choosing to die the opportunity to taunt death, despite death's inevitability. Why is this the case? In this paper I will argue that medical aid in dying acts as a perverse ars moriendi, engendering a false sense of control as it relates to the uncontrollable, i.e. death.