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08/11/2012
Two Thirds Back Assisted Suicide
The majority of people back the notion of assisted suicide, according to research from Bangor University.
The university found two thirds of over 62,000 people surveyed said they agreed with assisted suicide.
The report also found that support was around the same among people with terminal illnesses as for the general public.
The main reason given for supporting assisted death was suffering, along with loss of dignity, being a burden and loneliness.
Researchers have claimed the results contradict a recent review claiming doctors mostly opposed euthanasia.
Prof Clare Wilkinson of the North Wales Centre for Primary Care Research said: "Our work highlights the collective views of a huge number of people, including those from Britain. The medical profession needs to recognise and have respect for this majority view even if we don’t agree with it."
Maggie Hendry, who led the research at Bangor University’s North Wales Centre for Primary Care Research said: "For the first time, we’re giving voice to the majority opinion on this topic. In the media, the debate seems to have focussed on the opinions of the medical profession and their legal advisers, religious groups and a few high-profile cases."
Lord Joffe’s Terminally Ill Bill, which was blocked by the House of Lords 2006, required a doctor to "conclude that the patient is suffering unbearably as a result of a terminal illness."
But researchers say the results show it is debatable whether a doctor should have to agree that a person’s suffering is unbearable.
"If a doctor recognises the person’s autonomy, and their own perception of suffering", a statement said, "this research suggests it needs to be the person who decides."
Assisted dying is legal in four European countries; Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
(IT/GK)
The university found two thirds of over 62,000 people surveyed said they agreed with assisted suicide.
The report also found that support was around the same among people with terminal illnesses as for the general public.
The main reason given for supporting assisted death was suffering, along with loss of dignity, being a burden and loneliness.
Researchers have claimed the results contradict a recent review claiming doctors mostly opposed euthanasia.
Prof Clare Wilkinson of the North Wales Centre for Primary Care Research said: "Our work highlights the collective views of a huge number of people, including those from Britain. The medical profession needs to recognise and have respect for this majority view even if we don’t agree with it."
Maggie Hendry, who led the research at Bangor University’s North Wales Centre for Primary Care Research said: "For the first time, we’re giving voice to the majority opinion on this topic. In the media, the debate seems to have focussed on the opinions of the medical profession and their legal advisers, religious groups and a few high-profile cases."
Lord Joffe’s Terminally Ill Bill, which was blocked by the House of Lords 2006, required a doctor to "conclude that the patient is suffering unbearably as a result of a terminal illness."
But researchers say the results show it is debatable whether a doctor should have to agree that a person’s suffering is unbearable.
"If a doctor recognises the person’s autonomy, and their own perception of suffering", a statement said, "this research suggests it needs to be the person who decides."
Assisted dying is legal in four European countries; Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
(IT/GK)
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