; there is also a higher risk of suicide amongst men with no religious affiliation compared with men with a religious affiliation. These data suggest, whether one believes or not in a particular religious teaching, that religious people do think differently about the meaning of life and tend to be more reluctant to consider suicide (assisted or not) as an option. Secondly, consistent with previ...

THE OREGON DEATH WITH DIGnity Act was passed by ballot measure in 1994, and enacted in October 1997. This measure legalized physician-assisted suicide by allowing a physician to prescribe a lethal dose of medication for a mentally competent, terminally ill patient for the purpose of self-administration. Experts predicted that legalized assisted suicide would divert attention and resources from ...

BACKGROUND AND METHODS In Switzerland, nonmedical right-to-die organisations offer instruction and personal guidance in committing suicide to members suffering from incurable diseases. Suicide is usually committed with a lethal dose of barbiturates prescribed by a physician. This study is a retrospective analysis of all case files of assisted suicide kept during the period 1990-2000 by "Exit De...

Posner hypothesised that the legalisation of assisted suicide may substitute for unassisted (unregulated) suicide. We test predictions arising from this hypothesis using data US states have legalised Event study regression estimates provide strong evidence is associated with an increase in total suicides, especially females and older people. There some laws are also a smaller suicide, though st...

OBJECTIVES Several US states have legalized or decriminalized physician-assisted suicide (PAS) while others are considering permitting PAS. Although it has been suggested that legalization could lead to a reduction in total suicides and to a delay in those suicides that do occur, to date no research has tested whether these effects can be identified in practice. The aim of this study was to fil...

Undoubtedly, empirical data from Oregon will play a key role for academics, legislators, judges, and the public as debate over the legalization of physician-assisted suicide continues. A central issue in the debate is whether a right to assisted suicide can be limited to only the truly compelling cases, or whether it will in practice be provided to patients who choose it out of depression, coer...