A Social Analysis of the Assisted Dying Parliamentary Debate in the UK

On 29th November 2024, the UK parliament took the first step towards passing a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. Despite winning with a clear majority of 330 votes for to 275 against, as many as 30 law makers have since spoken publicly that they could withdraw their support at the next parliamentary vote.

Outside the parliament, the debate has been as important and critical, and even more affectively charged. It has included voices from the medical fraternity (such as the British Medical Association and Royal College of Nursing), legal fraternity, academics, human rights activists, carers and patients, among many others. This project is an attempt to grapple with these voices and to identify the debate’s anchors.

The dilemmas of the assisted dying debate in the UK are multiple. At an empirical level, it has drawn attention to the shortcomings of the NHS and the barriers to choosing and implementing assisted dying as a moral choice. At a conceptual level, it has forced us to reckon with imaginations of death and dying; reinterrogate the relationship between the state and its citizens, and its powers over life and death; and, it has brought to the fore the shifting roles and moral responsibilities of experts in society (be it scientific, legal or medical).

The current project will analyse this unfolding debate and bring it in conversation with other voices and writings on the practice. We will begin by listening closely to the parliamentary debate on November 29th 2024. Next, we will analyse it for what is said and unsaid, for the concerns and dilemmas it contends with and those it ignores. We will take these observations into conversation with existing writings on the topic of assisted dying in fields like anthropology and philosophy.

The main goal of the project is to develop a commentary on the debate from an anthropological and philosophical lens. This will take the form of a jointly authored opinion piece for general audiences or a research paper for academic audiences.
In order to develop this final output, the student will be required to analyse recordings of the debate, read opinion pieces and statements by key actors both within and outside the UK parliament, and also engage with existing anthropological and philosophical (ethics and bioethics) literatures on the topic.

The student will have the opportunity to develop their observational and listening skills. They will learn the basics of conducting a literature review, familiarise themselves with different stages of a qualitative research study all while learning about an important, sensitive and affectively charged subject matter such as assisted dying. This project will also allow them to practice appropriate forms of academic engagement with a sensitive subject matter- from framing questions to analysing data, within a structured and safe research environment. The student will also learn to conduct guided but independent library and archival research, bring empirical observations in conversation with existing literatures and train in key features of qualitative data analysis.

Students with a background in anthropology and anthropological research methods and those with a demonstrable interest in the topic will be strongly preferred. An interest in thinking deeply about the intersections of social, medical and justice issues and a commitment to reading and learning social theories, research on death and morality/ethics will be added strengths.

The student will disseminate the experience of the internship through a report or poster, depending on their preference. They will also have the opportunity to co-author the essay or journal article with me detailing our observations and analysis of the debate.

1. Please send your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your interest and suitability to the project supervisor(s). Please contact the project supervisor(s) in advance of submitting the application with any questions.

2. If selected by the project supervisor

• LISS DTP students must then complete the LISS DTP Placement /Internship Application form. This ensures that there is approval of PhD supervisor, and the necessary information is obtained to extend funding (for DTP1 students) or confirm placement requirement fulfilled (for DTP2 students), and to fulfil ESRC reporting obligations. LISS DTP approval must be given before the RA internship can commence.
• Other ESRC-funded DTP students should follow the internship application processes from their home DTP.

Please note for LISS DTP students:

• Research Assistant Internships must not be undertaken with the student’s current supervisor and/or home department.
• DTP1 students (those whose funding commenced before Oct24): a maximum of 4 Research Assistant internships will be funded. These will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the 4 DTP1 places are filled, we will inform PIs that only DTP2 students are eligible for the Research Assistant internships. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DTP1 PLACES HAVE NOW BEEN FILLED.
• DTP2 students (those whose funding commenced from Oct24): are required to complete a 3-month placement, which is funded through their studentship. No limits to number that can be funded.
• Reports: at the conclusion of the internship, the student will be required to complete an internship report, which will include a question for the internship host to feedback on the internship.

Contact liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk with any questions.