Allied health students' attitudes toward euthanasia

Abstract

Euthanasia, whether active or passive, remains a controversial issue in health care, and allied health professionals are likely to encounter situations of potential active or passive euthanasia during their careers. This survey of allied health students sought to determine their attitudes toward euthanasia and whether their self-reported euthanasia ideology corresponded with their behavioral endorsement of euthanasia actions. Disciplines and educational levels were also compared to determine differences between the program groups and their pro- or anti-euthanasia beliefs. Differing attitudes about euthanasia were found from group to group, and a significant correlation was found between the euthanasia ideology scores and the euthanasia behavioral scores.