Suffering, Care, and the Boundaries of Life: Opinions of Care Home Employees on Euthanasia

Sylwia Kwaśniewska

doi:10.18778/1733-8069.22.2.02

Authors

Sylwia Kwaśniewska University of Silesia in Katowice https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2893-8239

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8069.22.2.02

Keywords:

euthanasia, care work, ethics of care, emotional labour, care homes, old age, suffering, feminised professions

Abstract

The article presents the results of a qualitative study concerning opinions on euthanasia among women employed in care homes, where elderly residents predominate. The analysis aims to show how professional and personal experiences, as well as exposure to suffering, influence the formation of opinions about euthanasia. The article discusses the results of empirical research based on the theoretical frameworks of the ethics of care (Tronto) as well as emotional labour (Hochschild), also considering the issue of moral injury (Shay). The findings indicate that most respondents support the legalisation of euthanasia, justifying their stance through their knowledge of the dying process and their experience of accompanying others in suffering.

Author Biography

Sylwia Kwaśniewska, University of Silesia in Katowice

A sociologist and a doctoral researcher at the Doctoral School of the University of Silesia. She approaches sociology as a practice of making sense of social life in all its complexity; rather than committing to a narrow specialisation, she adopts a problem-driven, context-sensitive perspective, being attentive to what emerges in everyday experiences and relationships. Her work is situational and problem-oriented, i.e. guided by what proves empirically salient rather than by rigid subdisciplinary boundaries.

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