Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide: a Comparative Survey of Physicians, Terminally ill Cancer Patients, and the General Population

In 1995, the authors conducted a simultaneous survey of 1240 subjects from the general population, 179 physicians, & 62 consecutive patients with terminal cancer. Statements related to the legalization of euthanasia & physician-assisted suicide were scored using 1-7 Likert agreement scales. A slight majority of members of the public & terminally ill patients agreed with the legalization of euthanasia & assisted suicide, while most physicians opposed it. In multivariate analysis, independent associations with support of active end-of-life measures included: group surveyed, strength of religious beliefs, religion, education, & the perception of burden on families, & physical & emotional suffering by cancer patients. (37 refs.)