National Poll on Assisted Suicide

Oregon is the first and to date only state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Below are some highlights of a national poll on physician-assisted suicide. The survey was prepared by GLS Research of Los Angeles and included 1,000 interviews conducted between July 8 and 11:

• 76 percent agree that "it is not appropriate for Congress to get involved in regulating legal drugs prescribed by doctors for their patients."



• 72 percent oppose legislation in Congress to prohibit doctors from prescribing medication that a terminally ill patient could take to end life, with just 26 percent in favor of it.



• 75 percent oppose any action by Congress to repeal Oregon's law.



• 69 percent agree that "when a person is dying of a terminal disease, he should be allowed by law to request and receive help from his physician to end his life."



• 70 percent say they are concerned about too much government involvement in "the decisions terminally ill people make on whether or not to end their life."