DOI: 10.1177/30497841261453538 ISSN: 3049-7841

News framing of medical aid in dying (MAID) in states that considered but did not pass end-of-life legislation from 2015 to 2019

Kimberly A. Lauffer, Sean Baker, Natalee Seely

Newspaper coverage of medical aid in dying (MAID) in states that considered but did not pass such legislation commonly used frames of personal autonomy, protecting vulnerable sources, physician’s duty, and sanctity of life. Official sources were used most overall, but unofficial sources were dominant in news, briefs, and features and for the personal autonomy frame, which was dominant. The findings raise questions about the use of sources and effectiveness of news framing regarding legislative action.

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