To die, to sleep: US physicians' religious and other objections to physician-assisted suicide, terminal sedation, and withdrawal of life support.
This study analyzes data from a national survey to estimate the proportion of physicians who currently object to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), terminal sedation (TS), and withdrawal of artificial life support (WLS), and to examine associations between such objections and physician ethnicity, religious characteristics, and experience caring for dying patients. Overall, 69% of the US physicians object to PAS, 18% to TS, and 5% to WLS. Highly religious physicians are more likely than those with low religiosity to object to both PAS (84% vs 55%, P < .001) and TS (25% vs 12%, P < .001). Objection to PAS or TS is also associated with being of Asian ethnicity, of Hindu religious affiliation, and having more experience caring for dying patients. These findings suggest that, with respect to morally contested interventions at the end of life, the medical care patients receive will vary based on their physicians' religious characteristics, ethnicity, and experience caring for dying patients.
Curlin
Farr A
FA
Pritzker School of Medicine, Universtiy of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. fcurlin@uchicago.edu
Nwodim
Chinyere
C
Vance
Jennifer L
JL
Chin
Marshall H
MH
Lantos
John D
JD
D016223:Advance Directives / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel / Q000208:ethnology; D001293:Attitude to Death / Q000208:ethnology; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology*; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology; D010820:Physicians / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D016414:Resuscitation Orders / Q000941:ethics / Q000523:psychology; D012297:Right to Die / Q000941:ethics; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000941:ethics / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000941:ethics