title: Black/white differences in attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Lichtenstein
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Alcser
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Corning
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Bachman
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Doukas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death / Q000208:ethnology*; D003625:Data Collection; D033101:Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012067:Religion; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology