Abstract
The ethics and legalization of Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)—the act of a person intentionally ending his or her life with help of a health-care practitioner—are a source of considerable debate in health policy and medicine. The legal status varies considerably across countries and circumstances. The variation in whether MAiD is legally permissible, even between countries that are similar in their culture and political systems, suggests that the voluntary termination of one’s life with the aid of a medical professional is a highly contentious issue. We study the relative importance that people assign to “economic” and non-economic factors, including ethical and moral factors. People weigh costs against benefits in many choice contexts and in their policy preferences; it remains uncertain, however, whether they are willing to do so in certain domains of health where “sacred values” that preclude trade‐offs may be concerned, including decisions involving life and death. We consider the impact of two different types of economic factors on support for MAiD. First, we study whether the impact of granting MAiD on public resources influences the degree to which individuals support it. Second, we investigate whether individuals weigh the impact of financial circumstances on the well-being of a patient seeking MAiD.