O Sentido da Vida

In this seven-minute video, individuals play out different scenes on a stage, some of which are more abstract, and others that are more concrete. First, nineteen individuals in white medical garb and white medical masks stand silently on a stage in an auditorium. Seven of them hold up red signs which each have one of the following words on them in Portuguese: ‘illness,’ ‘dependency,’ ‘fragility,’ ‘aging,’ ‘loneliness.’ Sweeping instrumental music plays as the camera pans dramatically to each of the individuals holding up these words. Then, five individuals in black sweatshirts and hats, wearing black medical masks and holding black signs with the words ‘euthanasia,’ ‘to kill,’ ‘to give up,’ ‘END,’ ‘to discard,’ walk onto stage and join the crowd in white. All stand together momentarily as the camera pans to each of the black signs. The music escalates as the individuals in black then circulate through the crowd of individuals in white, nine of whom fall to the ground one by one. The individuals in black then exit the stage. The scene changes and the stage is now set with a table and four place settings. A family sits for dinner, and the children ask when they will be able to visit their hospitalized grandmother whom they miss. Once again, the scene changes, and we are shown the ten remaining individuals in white. They are joined by individuals in blue, dressed as medical professionals, and holding up signs with the words, ‘love,’ ‘hope,’ ‘LIFE,’ ‘humanize,’ ‘spiritual care,’ ‘continuous care,’ and ‘PALIATIVE CARE.’ As the music swells, all stand in solidarity together and then embrace. A number of short, fragmented scenes set in hospitals then demonstrate the importance of care and support for the aging and ill: adult children care and wait for their parents as they undergo treatments, nurses and doctors reassure and attend to patients, the family from earlier in the video is seen reunited with their grandmother. As the video comes to a close, a voiceover affirms the importance of patience, responsibility to others, and choosing to live. “Who loves, waits, trusts, and believes. Who loves would give anything for more time,” the voice announces, concluding, “say yes to life” as the words ‘Humanize Portugal’ appear across the screen.

Euthanasia is cast in ‘Sentido da Vida’ as an inhumane decision made by those who lack patience, love, and understanding. This video encourages its audience to choose hope, rather than death – strategically framing the decision to be made as a choice between those two options. This contrasts with the framing often chosen by pro-euthanasia groups, where the patient’s choice is between death and suffering. ‘Sentido da Vida’ (‘The Meaning of Life’) was produced by the anti-euthanasia group ‘Stop eutanásia’ which describes its mission as that of ‘promoting a culture of respect for the most vulnerable.’ The video was circulated on social media in 2021 amidst increasing parliamentary debates within Portugal about the legalization of assisted dying. The collective also sent the video to deputies of the Assembly of the Republic, in an effort to influence law-making through this film that appeals to its audience’s emotions. From 2020-2023, euthanasia bills were approved by Parliament four times but opposed each time by the country’s conservative President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who sent them back for constitutional review. However, euthanasia was legalized in 2023 for adults with incurable diseases and in great suffering.

Suggested Citation: O Sentido da Vida, Assisted Lab: A Living Archive of Assisted Dying, 18 March 2024 <link>