RT Journal
A1 Meisel A, Jernigan JC, Youngner SJ
T1 PRosecutors and end-of-life decision making
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 1999
FD May 24
VO 159
IS 10
SP 1089
OP 1095
DO 10.1001/archinte.159.10.1089
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.159.10.1089
AB Objective 
    To examine personal beliefs and professional behavior of state criminal prosecutors toward end-of-life decisions.Design 
    Mail survey.Setting 
    District attorney offices nationwide.Participants 
    All prosecuting attorneys who are members of the National District Attorneys Association. A total of 2844 surveys were mailed with 2 follow-up mailings at 6-week intervals; 761 surveys were returned for a response rate of 26.8%. The majority of respondents were white men, Protestant, and served in rural areas.Interventions 
    None.Main Outcome Measures 
    On the basis of 4 case scenarios, (1) professional behavior as determined by respondents' willingness to prosecute and what criminal charges they would seek; and (2) personal beliefs as determined by whether prosecutors believed the physicians' actions were morally wrong and whether they would want the same action taken if they were in the patient's condition.Results 
    Most respondents would not seek prosecution in 3 of the 4 cases. In the fourth case, involving physician-assisted suicide, only about one third of the respondents said that they definitely would prosecute. Those who would prosecute would most often seek a charge of criminal homicide. A majority of respondents believed that the physicians' actions were morally correct in each of the 4 cases and would want the same action taken if they were in the patient's position. There was a strong correlation between personal beliefs and professional behaviors.Conclusions 
    A large majority of responding prosecutors were unwilling to prosecute physicians in cases that clearly fall within currently accepted legal and professional boundaries. In the case of physician-assisted suicide, results reflected a surprisingly large professional unwillingness to prosecute and an even greater personal acceptance of physician-assisted suicide.