“The body has a way of dying:” An embodied understanding of the pursuit of medical aid in dying among terminally ill individuals

Despite extensive scholarship on clinical and ethical issues in medical aid in dying (MAID), little research has examined the lived experiences of individuals pursuing this end-of-life option. This phenomenological study aims to explore how terminally ill individuals experience the pursuit of MAID through their embodied perceptions and interpretations. Semi-structured interviews with seven participants were analyzed using an embodiment framework encompassing the physical, social, and lived body. Findings reveal that participants' physical conditions and social contexts shaped their end-of-life and aid-in-dying realities, which subsequently influenced their lived perception of dying within the context of a medically assisted process. The study concludes with a philosophical framework of embodiment for understanding assisted death as a whole-person experience, emphasizing the central role of the "lived body." Implications underscore the need for lawmakers, healthcare professionals, and researchers to consider humanistic perspectives when developing ethical and compassionate end-of-life care.