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<p>New data on attitudes and practices of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide from 1947 to 2016 found that physician-assisted suicide is increasingly being legalized.</p>

New Data on Physician-assisted Suicide in U.S.

March 1, 2017

A recent review of available data on attitudes and practices of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide from 1947 to 2016 found that euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are:

  • increasingly being legalized,
  • remain relatively rare, and
  • primarily involve patients with cancer.1

The study also found that in the U.S., less than 20% of physicians report having received requests for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, and 5% or less have complied.

REFERENCE

  1. Emanuel EJ, Onwuteaka-Philipsen BD, Urwin JW, et al. Attitudes and practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the United States, Canada, and Europe. JAMA 2016; 316(1):79-90.