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. 1997 Feb;89(2):125–133.

Black/white differences in attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide.

R L Lichtenstein 1, K H Alcser 1, A D Corning 1, J G Bachman 1, D J Doukas 1
PMCID: PMC2608229  PMID: 9046766

Abstract

In 1994, as the Michigan legislature considered whether to continue a law banning physician-assisted suicide, we conducted a series of surveys on this topic. One of these surveys, conducted in Detroit, was designed to measure the attitudes of a largely black population toward physician-assisted suicide. Questionnaires were mailed to 500 residents of Detroit. The questionnaire described a plan for legalizing physician-assisted suicide, called Plan A, that incorporated eligibility standards and safeguards to minimize abuse. Attitudes on three issues were investigated: 1) Should physician-assisted suicide be banned or legalized? 2) Should voluntary euthanasia also be permitted? 3) Might respondents request legalized physician-assisted suicide for themselves? Majorities of both whites and blacks supported Plan A; however, support was much lower among blacks than whites. Blacks were also less likely to support voluntary euthanasia or to envision asking for physician-assisted suicide themselves. Our analysis indicates that when age and sex are held constant, strength of religious commitment may account for much of the black-white difference in attitudes. We also consider alternative explanations based on cultural attitudes and degree of trust in the medical system.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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