‘I want to die on my own terms’: Dominant interpretative repertoires of ‘a good death’ in old age in Dutch newspapers

Abstract

RationaleThere is a paucity of empirical studies exploring how death and dying in old age are actually represented and debated within the Dutch society. ObjectiveThis study examines the discourse used in Dutch newspapers on the good death and dignified dying. It analyses how different types of social actions and positions are construed, thereby describing how death and dying in old age are portrayed in newspaper media. Methods173 newspaper articles between 2010 and 2020 were selected from five Dutch national newspapers. Data were thematically coded and scrutinised for discursive patterns in order to identify interpretative repertoires and their functions. ResultsFour interpretative repertoires of good death and dying in old age were identified, all drawing on the assisted dying debate: Choice, Risk, Care, and Complexity. Each repertoire constructs a particular image of death and dying, varying from it being a personal choice; a last resort; a joint journey; to a contingent quest. The different repertoires imply distinct identities and actions. The Choice-repertoire construes older people as active subjects who autonomously determine their own death. The Risk- and Care-repertoires both construe older people primarily as passive and acted upon: either threatened by illness, decline and death; or protected and cared for by others and society. The Complexity-repertoire construes older people's situation as an object of reflection. Discussion and conclusionThe strong prevalence of the Choice-repertoire in Dutch newspapers construes good death and dignified dying in old age in a salient way, unrepresentatively highlighting assisted dying as the preferred imagined practice. It is hypothesised that reimaging the Care- and Complexity-repertoires in such a way that they construe older persons in a more active subject role could help depolarise the debate on death and dying in old age.