Assisted Suicide

 

The majority of Connecticut residents do not support assisted suicide

By Alex Schadenberg, International Chair – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

A comprehensive poll on assisted suicide done by the Marist polling firm found that the majority of Connecticut residents do not support assisted suicide and a strong majority of Connecticut residents do not consider assisted suicide bill HB 5326 to be a legislative priority. The survey was conducted March 6-9.

HB 5326 would allow doctors to prescribe a fatal dose of drugs to patients who request it and are believed to have a terminal illness. The Joint Committee on Public Health has scheduled a hearing for the bill today.
The poll found that assisted suicide runs counter to the majority of Connecticut residents’ views about a doctor’s proper role in end-of-life situations.

Marist surveyed 1,000 adults and found

● 55% believe a doctor should not prescribe or provide life-ending drugs, but instead should manage the illness or be allowed to remove a respirator or other medical interventions so nature can take its course. Only 38% believe a doctor should actively assist in taking a person’s life by prescribing (21%) or administering (17%) fatal doses of drugs.

● 70% see the issue as a low priority or not an issue to be addressed by the governor and state legislature.

● 65% of residents in the state worry that if the law passes, those without better health insurance could have fewer end-of-life options.

● 64% worry that the state of mind of a patient may be misjudged since the bill allows doctors who are not mental health professionals to determine the patient’s state of mind.

● 63% worry that the doctor’s prediction of the course of the disease could be inaccurate.

● 63% worry that the elderly could be at risk in nursing homes or health care facilities.

● 58% are concerned that patients who suffer from depression will be more likely to want to take their own lives

Source: NRLC News