Freakonomics Radio

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678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”?

Explore episode Jun 19, 2026
Society & Culture
Al Roth: Repugnant Transactions and Assisted Dying

678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”? · Jun 19, 2026 Society & Culture

Al Roth's concept of 'repugnant transactions' — things some people want and others oppose on moral grounds, regardless of harm — puts assisted dying in the same historical bucket as same-sex marriage and interracial marriage. Social support, Roth argues, is what makes or breaks any contested market.

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