Poll: More planning ahead for death, living wills
Survey finds strong support in U.S. for right to die
January 7, 2006
WASHINGTON (AP) -- People are more likely these days
to plan for their own death or talk to close relatives about the subject
that many have long been inclined to avoid, a poll found.
With the American population growing older and
high-profile life-and-death cases in the news, more people are trying to
come to grips with their own mortality.
Three in 10 people, 29 percent, now say they have a
living will, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the
People and the Press. That's more than twice the number, 12 percent, who
said in 1990 that they had put into writing how they wish to be treated
medically, if they are incapable of communicating.
More than two-thirds of those who are married, 69
percent, say they have talked with their spouse about preferred
end-of-life medical care. That's up from half who had done that in 1990.
"This probably has to do with the aging of the
population and more people confronting these situations," said Andrew
Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. "The poll found that people
who have participated in decisions about end-of-life or had loved ones
with illnesses in the last five years are much more likely to have
thought about end-of-life treatments or to have living wills."
The median age in this country has been increasing and
is now 36.2, according to the U.S. Census. That's up from 32.8 in 1990.
Also increasing the likelihood of discussing death
preferences and preparing living wills are high-profile cases like the
Terri Schiavo case, Kohut said.
Terri Schiavo was the brain-damaged Florida woman at
the center of a battle between her husband and her parents over whether
she should be kept alive or taken off a feeding tube and allowed to die.
Because Schiavo did not have a written record of her
end-of-life preferences, the argument over her fate dragged on in the
courts and spilled over into a political debate. Both Congress and
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tried to intervene in the case.
Schiavo died March 31, two weeks after her feeding
tubes were removed because of a court order.
An overwhelming majority, 70 percent, say that
patients should sometimes be allowed to die -- close to the 73 percent
who felt that way 15 years ago. Just over one in five, 22 percent, say
that doctors should always try to save a patient's life.
The poll also found the public is evenly divided over
physician-assisted suicide, but overwhelmingly supporting laws that
allow people to make decisions about whether they should be kept alive
with artificial means.
The poll of 1,500 adults was taken November 9 through
27 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage
points.
(Note that you can create your Will, Power of Attorney and
Living Will online at
http://www.PartingWishes.com,
http://www.USLegalWills.com and
http://www.LegalWills.ca).
For More Information Contact:
PartingWishes.com
Email:
support@partingwishes.com
Internet:
http://www.partingwishes.com
