ONE IN 16 AMERICAN DOCTORS ASSISTING IN SUICIDE?

BOSTSON, Apr 23 (LSN) – The New England Journal of Medicine reported today on a study on assisted suicide led by Dr Diane E. Meier of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Dr Meier claims that 11 per cent of doctors say there are circumstances in which they would prescribe drugs to help a patient to commit suicide, and that 36 per cent would do it if it were legal. The study also indicates that 6.4 percent of doctors “reported having acceded to at least one request for assistance with suicide or a lethal injection.”  The poll surveyed 1,902 doctors practicing in specialties wherein terminally ill patients were likely to make suicide-related requests. More controversial was death by the administration of lethal injections, yet 7 per cent said they would be willing to commit the crime and 24 per cent would do it if legalized.  Of the criminal assisted suicides which took place, more than half the requests were not originated by the victims themselves but by family or “partners.” Also, 78 per cent of the criminal doctors noted their motive was not to end pain, some of the other reasons were to end “severe discomfort” such as the loss of control.