Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
. 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.

Full text

PDF
130

Selected References

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

  1. Bachman J. G., Doukas D. J., Lichtenstein R. L., Alcser K. H. Assisted suicide and euthanasia in Michigan. N Engl J Med. 1994 Sep 22;331(12):812–813. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199409223311215. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Callendar C. O., Hall L. E., Yeager C. L., Barber J. B., Jr, Dunston G. M., Pinn-Wiggins V. W. Organ donation and blacks. A critical frontier. N Engl J Med. 1991 Aug 8;325(6):442–444. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199108083250631. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Callender C. O., Bayton J. A., Yeager C., Clark J. E. Attitudes among blacks toward donating kidneys for transplantation: a pilot project. J Natl Med Assoc. 1982 Aug;74(8):807–809. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Caralis P. V., Davis B., Wright K., Marcial E. The influence of ethnicity and race on attitudes toward advance directives, life-prolonging treatments, and euthanasia. J Clin Ethics. 1993 Summer;4(2):155–165. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Creecy R. F., Wright R. Correlates of willingness to consider organ donation among blacks. Soc Sci Med. 1990;31(11):1229–1232. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(90)90128-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Garrett J. M., Harris R. P., Norburn J. K., Patrick D. L., Danis M. Life-sustaining treatments during terminal illness: who wants what? J Gen Intern Med. 1993 Jul;8(7):361–368. doi: 10.1007/BF02600073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jones J. H. The Tuskegee legacy. AIDS and the black community. Hastings Cent Rep. 1992 Nov-Dec;22(6):38–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Levin J. S., Taylor R. J., Chatters L. M. Race and gender differences in religiosity among older adults: findings from four national surveys. J Gerontol. 1994 May;49(3):S137–S145. doi: 10.1093/geronj/49.3.s137. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ostheimer J. M., Moore C. L., Jr "The correlates of attitudes toward euthanasia" revisited. Soc Biol. 1981 Spring-Summer;28(1-2):145–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ostheimer J. M. The polls: changing attitudes toward euthanasia. Public Opin Q. 1980 Spring;44(1):123–128. doi: 10.1086/268574. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Peterson E. D., Wright S. M., Daley J., Thibault G. E. Racial variation in cardiac procedure use and survival following acute myocardial infarction in the Department of Veterans Affairs. JAMA. 1994 Apr 20;271(15):1175–1180. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Singh B. K. Correlates of attitudes toward euthanasia. Soc Biol. 1979 Fall;26(3):247–254. doi: 10.1080/19485565.1979.9988382. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Thomas S. B., Quinn S. C. The burdens of race and history on Black Americans' attitudes toward needle exchange policy to prevent HIV disease. J Public Health Policy. 1993 Autumn;14(3):320–347. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ward R. A. Age and acceptance of euthanasia. J Gerontol. 1980 May;35(3):421–431. doi: 10.1093/geronj/35.3.421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the National Medical Association are provided here courtesy of National Medical Association

RESOURCES