WHEN IS A REQUEST FOR ASSISTED SUICIDE LEGITIMATE - FACTORS INFLUENCING PUBLIC-ATTITUDES TOWARD EUTHANASIA

A mail survey of 810 Greater Vancouver Area residents investigated how the public's acceptance of a request for euthanasia was influenced by the method of death (e.g., lethal injection vs. withdrawal of life-su pport) and by the identity of the patient featured in a vignette (e.g. , stranger vs. oneself). The study also identified considerations peop le found most important in deciding whether a patient's request for eu thanasia was legitimate (e.g., patient's pain, chance for recovery). L ife-support withdrawal was found significantly more acceptable (90% su pport) than a lethal injection (79% support), yet the identity of the person involved did not affect the acceptability of euthanasia. Howeve r, a factor analysis suggested that the decisions about oneself may be more complex and more closely scrutinized than decisions about others . The considerations rated most important by participants paralleled l egal guidelines from the Netherlands and Oregon.