Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, February 1, 1996 – Vol. 334, No. 5
Melinda A. Lee, Heidi D. Nelson, Virginia P. Tilden, Linda Gazini, Terri A. Schmidt, Susan W. Tolle
Physicians in Oregon have faced the prospect of legalized Physician Assisted Suicide since the Death With Dignity act was passed in 1994. This study was conducted in 1995 to asses the ideas and practices of Oregon physicians as they relate to assisted suicide. 3944 eligible physicians were mailed a 56 question survey and were asked to complete and return it.
Of the 2716 physicians who responded to the survey, 60% thought that physician assisted suicide should be legal in certain circumstances. 46% would be willing to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to someone who was terminally ill. 31% would not prescribe a lethal dose for moral reasons. 21% had been asked to participate in a physician assisted suicide before this survey, and 7% actually did. |
