Correlates of Physicians ’ Endorsement of the Legalization of Physician-assisted Suicide

Although most physicians recognize a duty to provide compassion-ate end-of-life care, they often feel ill prepared to do so. Of partic-ular controversy is physician-assisted suicide. Physician-assisted su-icide is commonly defined as the practice of providing a competent patient with a prescription for medication for the patient to use with the primary intention of ending his or her own life. In a recent survey of approximately 2,000 U.S. physicians, 3.3 % reported that they had written at least one prescription to hasten death.1 Eleven percent reported they would write a prescription to hasten death if requested to do so under the current legal system. If legalized, 36% of the physicians would be willing to write a prescription to hasten death.1 Consistent with the diversity of physicians ’ opinions about the practice of assisted suicide, attitudes toward its legalization are also divided. When physicians in Michigan were asked to choose be