June 12, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in the Czech Republic believe doctor-assisted suicide should be allowed in the European country, according to a poll by CVVM. 58 per cent of respondents support the practice of euthanasia, while 28 per cent oppose it.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in the Czech Republic believe doctor-assisted suicide should be allowed in the European country, according to a poll by CVVM. 58 per cent of respondents support the practice of euthanasia, while 28 per cent oppose it.

In the Czech Republic, assisting a person to commit suicide is equivalent to murder. A proposal that would define specific penalties for killing another person upon his or her own request has not been ratified by the Parliament.

In February, Czech lawmakers voted down a motion to include an article in the new draft penal code which would have allowed euthanasia under certain circumstances. Czech justice minister Jiri Pospisil of the governing Civic Democratic Party (ODS) had proposed to include euthanasia in the penal code as a specific crime punishable by up to six years in prison, but the idea was dropped in the final draft. ODS lawmaker Boris Stastny is currently preparing a bill for the legalization of doctor-assisted suicide in some cases.

The Netherlands and Belgium allow for some form of euthanasia. In the United States, the state of Oregon legalized assisted suicide in 1994.

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose euthanasia?

Support	58%
Oppose	28%
Not sure	15%

Source: CVVM
Methodology: Interviews with 1,132 Czech adults, conducted from May 5 to May 14, 2007. No margin of error was provided.