Washington State Social Workers' Attitudes Toward Voluntary Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

Abstract

This study examines attitudes and experiences concerning voluntary euthanasia (VE) and assisted suicide (AS) among 862 professional social workers from Washington State, USA. Although AS has been portrayed as more acceptable than VE, social workers make only a minor distinction in their support for the legalization of such acts (VE 72.4%; AS 77.6%). Only 26.6% agreed with the US Supreme Court's ruling that assisted suicide is not a constitutional right. More than 75% believe that social workers should be involved in the decision-making process with clients who are considering VE/AS. About 20% of social workers report being consulted about VE/AS issues either by clients or in their personal lives. Social workers employed in medical settings are more than twice as likely to be consulted about VE/AS than those employed in non-medical settings. Religious commitment explains some opposition to VE/AS for Protestants and Catholics, but not for other faiths. A small number of social workers (19) admitted to assisting the death of a patient by VE and 5 admitted to AS.

Key Words:

• Attitudes
• voluntary euthanasia
• assisted suicide
• social work
• ethics