Social Work Roles and Ethics in U.S. Medical Aid in Dying.

Abstract

Social workers play an important role in advocating for choice at end of life,, which includes assisting eligible clients with accessing medical aid in dying (MAiD), where legal, and advocating for safe and equitable access to MAiD services to uphold client self-determination. Mandatory reporting expectations for U.S. social workers may cause confusion with MAiD, so it is important to distinguish between harm to self and MAiD (which is legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia) for hastening death. This article fills a gap in the literature by discussing U.S. social work roles and MAiD through an ethical decision-making framework and suggests social work roles, ethics, and risks of MAiD. Relevant ethical expectations include self-determination, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, informed consent, and competence. Terms related to MAiD, including voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, and the current U.S. legal context for social work practice in this area are also described herein.