Assisted suicide: opinions of Alberta physicians

T. Douglas Kinsella
Marja J. Verhoef

Office of Medical Bioethics and Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

(Original manuscript submitted 10/8/94; received in revised form 25/4/95; accepted 9/6/95)

Abstract

The legal status of assisted suicide and active euthanasia is receiving increasing attention among physicians, legislators, the judiciary, and public lobby groups. Many seem to assume that these forms of assisted dying reside naturally within the practice of medicine but, surprisingly, comprehensive data about the opinions of Canadian physicians are not available. We report the results of a survey of the opinions of Alberta physicians about assisted suicide, compare their opinions to those about active euthanasia, and determine their relationships with various demographic and bioethical matters. A stratified random sample (n = 2,002) was drawn from all Alberta physicians. The response rate was 69% (1,391) and was representative of the reference population for age, sex, and type of practice. Fifty-five percent believed that assisted suicide should remain a criminal offence, whereas 18% did not, and 27% were uncertain. Strong relationships were found between opinions about assisted suicide, and age and religious activity. These data demonstrate no ground swell of support by Alberta physicians for the decriminalization of assisted suicide. Our data confirm the need for a national study of the opinions of Canadian physicians about physician-assisted dying, and caution against precipitate changes in relevant legislation and health policy.

Clin Invest Med 1995; 18 (5): 406-412

Table of contents: CIM vol. 18, no. 5