Doctors coming round to assisted suicide

The medical profession is beginning to join public opinion on this subject, according to this poll:

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 2005
Results of a national survey of 1,000 physicians revealed that a clear majority of physicians (57%) believe that it is ethical to assist an individual who has made a rational choice to die due to unbearable suffering, while 39% believe it is unethical.

In response to the Supreme Court's decision to hear a challenge to Oregon's Death with Dignity act -- the nation's only law on behalf of physician assisted suicide -- the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Social and Religious Research and HCD Research, conducted the survey of physicians during the last week of February. The margin of error for the study was plus or minus 3% at a 95% level of confidence.

The findings also indicated that a plurality of physicians polled (41%) endorse the legalization of physician assisted suicide under a wide variety of circumstances, while 30% support its legalization in a few cases only and 29% oppose legalizing it in all cases. {end}

DEREK HUMPHRY, author of 'Final Exit'