Anita Hannig
Cognoscenti contributor
Anita Hannig is an author and anthropologist whose work explores the cultural dimensions of medicine, especially birth and death. In recent years, she has emerged as a leading voice on death literacy in America. Her latest book, "The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America," a finalist for the Oregon Book Awards, investigates how access to medical aid in dying is transforming the ways Americans die.
Recently published
My toddler likes to talk about death. So do I
I never deliberately set out to raise a daughter attuned to death. But given my professional background, perhaps it was inevitable, writes Anita Hannig, a cultural anthropologist who studies the...
Abortion-rights opponents don’t understand that death — like life — is sacred
All pregnancy is rife with the specter of death, although we prefer not to think about it, writes Anita Hannig. We have sacrificed an entire generation on the altar of...
When abortion is 'an unimaginable act of surrender'
Banning abortion will create tremendous suffering for some who face pregnancy complications — all traumatic in themselves, but even more so without the guarantee of timely deliverance, writes Anita Hannig.
On my first Mother's Day, I'm honoring the profound link between birth and death
As a cultural anthropologist, Anita Hannig has spent a lot of time thinking about death. It’s easy to think of birth and death as opposites, but they are actually very...
COVID-19 Won't Let Us Forget Our Maddening, Precious Mortality
We work so hard to uphold the boundary between life and death, writes Anita Hannig. Now that line appears unnervingly thin.
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How Our Assisted Dying Laws Work Against Some People Who Suffer The Most
If we want more patients with degenerative, hopeless diseases to have access to an aided death, we must rethink our approach to assisted dying, writes Antia Hannig.