A narrow majority of Americans consider physician-assisted suicide to be morally acceptable

A new survey by Lifeway Research shows that a narrow majority of Americans consider physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients to be morally acceptable—and even more respondents would like doctors to have the legal right to assist in this. This is reported by the Catholic News Agency.

According to the study, 51 percent of 1,200 respondents consider it morally acceptable for a patient suffering from painful, terminal illness to ask for medical assistance in ending their life, and 55 percent support doctors having the legal option to do so.

However, support is fragile: only one in five Americans “strongly agree,” with another 30 percent “somewhat agreeing.”

Thirty-two percent of respondents hold the opposite view, while 17 percent are undecided.

Scott McConnell, CEO of the evangelical Protestant research firm Lifeway Research, noted, “Half of Americans seek their own comfort and their own way even in the face of death, but that doesn't mean they don't think about the morality of physician-assisted suicide.”

(max)