Views of United States physicians and members of the American Medical Association House of Delegates on physician-assisted suicide

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the views of physicians and physician leaders towar d the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. DESIGN: Confidential mail questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: A nationwide random sample of physicians of all ages and spec ialties, and all members of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates as of April 1996. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic and practice characteristics and attitude toward legalization of physician-assisted suicide. MAIN RESULTS: Usable questionnaires were returned by 658 of 930 eligible ph ysicians in the nationwide random sample (71%) and 315 of 390 eligible phys icians in the House of Delegates (81%). In the nationwide random sample, 44 .5% favored legalization (16.4% definitely and 28.1% probably), 33.9% oppos ed legalization (20.4% definitely and 13.5% probably). and 22% were unsure. Opposition to legalization was strongly associated with self-defined polit ically conservative beliefs, religious affiliation, and the importance of r eligion to the respondent (P < .001). Among members of the AMA House of Del egates, 23.5% favored legalization (7.3% definitely and 16.2% probably), 61 .6% opposed legalization (43.5% definitely and 18.1% probably), and 15% wer e unsure; their views differed significantly from those of the nationwide r andom sample (P < .001). Given the choice, a majority of both groups would prefer no law at all, with physician-assisted suicide being neither legal n or illegal. CONCLUSIONS: Members of the AMA House of Delegates strongly oppose physicia n-assisted suicide, but rank-and-file physicians show no consensus either f or or against its legalization. Although the debate is sometimes adversaria l, most physicians in the United States are uncertain or endorse moderate v iews on assisted suicide.