End-of-Life Issues in the United States after Terri Schiavo: Implications for Social Work Practice

Abstract

The very public death of Terri Schiavo in 2005 alerted Americans to what is a growing ethical, medical, and social crisis: the status of end-of-life issues and decisions in the United States. Currently, Oregon is the only state to give terminally ill patients the right to end their lives, with physicians’ help, if they so choose. Public opinion data from 1977 to the present show that Americans support greater rights for individuals facing end-of-life decisions--up to and including physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. This paper considers the status of end-of-life issues in the United States after Terri Schiavo’s death and examines the opportunities for advocacy by social workers who serve clients and families encountering this complex and controversial issue.

Approval of Euthanasia: Differences Between Cohorts and Religion

“…Females are significantly less likely than men to approve of euthanasia with an odds ratio of 0.698, and this finding is consistent with previous research (Burdette et al, 2005;Montero, 2011). Non-Whites, or Blacks and others in this sample, are both significantly less likely than Whites to approve of euthanasia, which is also consistent with previous literature (Burdette et al, 2005;Montero, 2011) that suggest that some of the results could be explained by mistrust in the medical profession, especially among Blacks. Also, consistent with previous research (Burdette et al, 2005;Montero, 2011), higher education is significantly associated with higher odds for approval of euthanasia, as is higher income, although this is not significant.…”

“…Non-Whites, or Blacks and others in this sample, are both significantly less likely than Whites to approve of euthanasia, which is also consistent with previous literature (Burdette et al, 2005;Montero, 2011) that suggest that some of the results could be explained by mistrust in the medical profession, especially among Blacks. Also, consistent with previous research (Burdette et al, 2005;Montero, 2011), higher education is significantly associated with higher odds for approval of euthanasia, as is higher income, although this is not significant. As expected, both moderates and liberals have significantly higher odds for approval of euthanasia than conservatives.…”

“…To assess religiosity, I include three different variables available in the GSS. First is attendance at religious services, a commonly used measure of religiosity in the literature (Burdette et al, 2005;Montero, 2011;Schwadel, 2010); consistent with other studies I truncate this to a dummy variable with attending religious services less than twice a month (0) and attending religious services twice a month or more (1). In addition to attendance at religious services, I include two other measures of religiosity that aim to capture more intrinsic levels of religiosity, which is often underexamined (Aghababaei, 2013).…”

“…Several studies have considered the changing opinion of the American public regarding euthanasia (e.g., Aghababaei, 2013;Burdette et al, 2005;Caddell & Newton, 1995;DeCesare, 2000;Horsfall, Alcocer, Temple Duncan, & Polk, 2001;Marini, Neuenschwander, & Stieffel, 2006;Montero, 2011). DeCesare (2000) investigated the public's attitudes regarding euthanasia and suicide when one is terminally ill using data from 1977 through 1996 and found that approval increased from just above 62% in 1977 to just above 70% in 1996.…”

“…There has been an increase in the religious nones over the past several decades with a steep rise beginning in 1990 (Lim, MacGregor, & Putnam, 2010). During this era, favorable attitudes toward euthanasia have also increased (DeCesare, 2000;Montero, 2011). However, favorable attitudes of euthanasia have leveled off at around 70% since 1990, while the religious nones have continued to increase.…”