BLACK WHITE DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES TOWARD PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE/

In 1994, as the Michigan legislature considered whether to continue a law banning physician-assisted suicide, we conducted a series of surve ys on this topic. One of these surveys, conducted in Detroit, was desi gned to measure the attitudes of a largely black population toward phy sician-assisted suicide. Questionnaires were mailed to 500 residents o f Detroit. The questionnaire described a plan for legalizing physician -assisted suicide, called Plan A, that incorporated eligibility standa rds and safeguards to minimize abuse. Attitudes on three issues were i nvestigated: 1) Should physician-assisted suicide be banned or legaliz ed? 2) Should voluntary euthanasia also be permitted? 3) Might respond ents request legalized physician-assisted suicide for themselves? Majo rities of both whites and blacks supported Plan A; however, support wa s much lower among blacks than whites. Blacks were also less likely to support voluntary euthanasia or to envision asking for physician-assi sted suicide themselves. Our analysis indicates that when age and sex are held constant, strength of religious commitment may account For mu ch of the black-white difference in attitudes. We also consider altern ative explanations based on cultural attitudes and degree of trust in the medical system.