(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – There is no clear consensus on whether euthanasia should be legalized in the United States, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 42 per cent of respondents support this idea, while 36 per cent are opposed.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – There is no clear consensus on whether euthanasia should be legalized in the United States, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 42 per cent of respondents support this idea, while 36 per cent are opposed.
Since August 2009, the proportion of supporters of legal euthanasia has dropped by three points, while the proportion of opponents has increased by four points.
Earlier this month, Idaho legislators discussed Senate Bill 1270, which seeks to provide doctors, nurses and health care practitioners with the right to refuse to provide services that conflict with their religious or moral principles. Republican state senator Russell Fulcher discussed the rationale for the bill, saying. "It would, if passed, grant health care professionals out of an end-of-life procedure without having to worry about getting fired."
The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Albania and Thailand allow for some form of euthanasia, as well as the states of Oregon and Washington in the United States.
Polling Data
Generally speaking, do you support or oppose legalizing euthanasia in the U.S.?
|
Feb. 2010
|
Aug. 2009
|
|
|
Support
|
42%
|
45%
|
|
Oppose
|
36%
|
32%
|
|
Not sure
|
22%
|
23%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,001 American adults, conducted on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
