THE RIGHT-TO-DIE - STATE POLICY-MAKING AND THE ELDERLY

The life prolonging power of medical technology and traditional ethics which require the maintenance of life have generated growing political demand for new law to regulate the use of lifesaving equipment and techniques, and to establish the rights of individuals to determine the course of their own treatment. This research maps the politics of the right-to-die through an analysis of state legislation and appellate court decisions and interviews with political participants in three states. It also examines the role of interest groups of and for the elderly in shaping this policy. The research has discovered that, with an important exception, state law has become more supportive of patients'rights since the earliest legislation, but that state courts and legislatures often compete in policymaking. However, the elderly have not substantially sought to influence this policy in either branch of government. The political potential of the elderly is examined. © 1991.