Professor Seale’s letter reminded me of a November 2001 survey of
professional attitudes to doctor participation in the process of killing
people. The report on the survey was entitled, ‘Physicians’ Willingness to
Participate in the Process of Lethal Injection for Capital Punishment’. It
apparently reported the fact that most doctors surveyed thought it
acceptable for their colleagues to participate in the death penalty. [1]
The survey also revealed that 19% of the responding doctors were
actually willing to give a condemned prisoner the lethal injection
themselves.
It would have been interesting to know whether the religious
affiliations of those doctors prepared to actively participate in killing
another human being were of a similar nature to those of the 43rd
President of the United States (POTUS).
Rapid Response:
Physician-assisted dying
Professor Seale’s letter reminded me of a November 2001 survey of
professional attitudes to doctor participation in the process of killing
people. The report on the survey was entitled, ‘Physicians’ Willingness to
Participate in the Process of Lethal Injection for Capital Punishment’. It
apparently reported the fact that most doctors surveyed thought it
acceptable for their colleagues to participate in the death penalty. [1]
The survey also revealed that 19% of the responding doctors were
actually willing to give a condemned prisoner the lethal injection
themselves.
It would have been interesting to know whether the religious
affiliations of those doctors prepared to actively participate in killing
another human being were of a similar nature to those of the 43rd
President of the United States (POTUS).
[1] Summaries for Patients: ‘Doctors’ Willingness to Participate in
the Death Penalty. http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/135/10/S57.pdf
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests