Regulating Euthanasia and Assissted Suicide in Spain. What model is public opinion tending towards?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2014.769n5013Keywords:
euthanasia, physician assisted suicide, public opinion, legislationAbstract
Objective: To compare the attitudes of Spanish citizens with existing legal models on euthanasia and assisted suicide to identify which of them the citizens could agree with. Methods: Data collected by the Social Research Centre in Study 2,803 “care for patients who are terminally ill” in 2009 were analysed. Descriptive analysis and comparisons with McNemar test were carried out. Results: Spanish populationclearly supports the practice of euthanasia for the terminally ill. Agreement is lower in the case of physician assisted suicide and degenerative diseases. Conclusions: The Belgian model matches the approach favoured by Spanish public opinion closest. This represents a starting point for the social, political and legal debate needed to regulate individuals’ rights at the end of life.
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