(Oregon Right to Life) — The majority of Americans reportedly believe euthanasia and assisted suicide should be legal, indicating that the pro-life movement has a long way to go in building a culture that respects all life, from fertilization until natural death.
A new Gallup survey published August 8 found that 71% of Americans support euthanasia and 66% believe that assisted suicide should be legal. The data reportedly reflects a steady trend of support going back several decades.
“Americans offer majority support for end-of-life options for terminal patients that involve human intervention, but they are slightly more likely to agree with euthanasia procedures over doctor-assisted suicide,” a Gallup report based on the survey reads. “Doctor-assisted suicide consistently receives slightly lower support, likely because ‘suicide’ carries social and religious stigma.” The report cited a separate Gallup poll that found that, asked whether they believed suicide was moral, only 22% of Americans polled said they did.
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Among those who responded to the more recent poll concerning legal assisted suicide and euthanasia, support for euthanasia spanned the political spectrum, with a majority from both major political parties as well as independents saying they supported it. 79% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 61% of Republicans said they believed euthanasia should be legal.
But at least one researcher has questioned the accuracy of the numbers, pointing out that the results depend on the way the questions are framed.
“Even Gallup has stated that ‘U.S. support for euthanasia hinges on how it’s described,’” emergency physician and researcher Dr. Scott French told Catholic News Agency. “But the assumption that people must choose between death with pain and death without pain is a false dichotomy.”
Even if the results are fully representative, euthanasia – the intentional killing of a patient by a medical provider – is currently illegal in all 50 states.
Physician-assisted suicide, meanwhile, is legal in 10 states (including Oregon) and Washington D.C.
Oregon was the first state in the nation to endorse the practice, legalizing physician-assisted suicide in 1994. The “Death With Dignity Act” took effect in 1997 after overcoming legal hurdles. In 2023, Oregon Democratic Governor Tina Kotek signed a law removing the residency requirement from the DWDA, allowing Oregon physicians to prescribe lethal drugs to people from other states. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) had already stopped enforcing the residency requirement in 2022.
Since 1997, some 4,274 people have been prescribed lethal drugs in Oregon, and at least 2,847 people (67%) have died after consuming them, an OHA report states. Last year, CBS reported, 23 people who died as a result of Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide practice (roughly 6% of the total that year) were out-of-state residents, according to OHA data.
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In response to the rising popularity and legality of physician-assisted suicide, pro-life advocates nationwide are striving to restore cultural respect and legal protection for the dignity of every human life, regardless of age, disability, or diagnosis.
Anyone experiencing serious depression or suicidal thoughts is encouraged to reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Family members and friends of medically vulnerable people at risk of euthanasia or assisted suicide can also reach out to the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network’s Crisis Lifeline at 1-855-300-HOPE (4673).
This article was edited and updated 9/4/2024 for clarity, as well as to include a quote from Dr. Scott French and make note of the fact that French questions the full accuracy of the Gallup survey results.
Oregon Right to Life supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death, and opposes all cases of euthanasia, whereby a person is deliberately killed through direct action or omission, even if that act is by their permission. Examples of euthanasia include allowing disabled newborns to die of routinely treatable medical conditions, withholding food or water from the comatose, or lethally injecting a terminally ill patient. Read this and all our position statements here.
