Patients who want to die: a survey of 1000 adults

A representative sample of 1000 Ontario adults was surveyed by mail about: 1. their opinion on the desirability of legal and social changes to permit physicians to comply with requests by adult, hopelessly ill patients for measures to hasten their death, and 2. what they would prefer to do if ever faced with hopeless illness.A MAJORITY: a. favors changes to permit a doctor to carry out requests for withdrawing life-supporting equipment; b. favors rewording the law to clarify that it is legal for a doctor to carry out requests not to use forced feeding when patients refuse food; c. is against changes to permit a doctor to carry out requests for lethal drugs; d. feels that if faced with hopeless illness, they would choose to bring about their death, rather than carrying on as best as they could.