Assistierter Suizid in den Medien – eine narrative Übersicht

Media portrayals of assisted suicide and their impact on recipients have so far received insufficient scholarly attention. This article provides an initial overview of international research on news coverage, films, television, and social media that deal with this topic. Qualitative content analyses dominate the academic literature, while empirical studies on the effects of portrayals of assisted suicide are largely absent. Media coverage of this topic navigates the tension between individual autonomy, social responsibility, and the potential normative influence of public communication. Despite media guidelines, the topic is often emotionalized and presented on the basis of individual cases, many of which implicitly advocate for assisted suicide. This sometimes conveys the message that a life with suffering is not worth living. Furthermore, alternatives to assisted suicide-such as comprehensive palliative care-are rarely discussed. There is evidence suggesting that media reports on assisted suicide can trigger imitation effects. Due to the limited number of studies and methodological shortcomings, it is currently not possible to draw far-reaching conclusions. However, particularly with regard to potential media effects, systematic research on the coverage and portrayal of assisted suicide is of critical importance.