Adib Salim M, Kawas Sami H, Hajjar Theresa A
PO Box 175027, Beirut, Lebanon.
Dev World Bioeth. 2003 May;3(1):10-26. doi: 10.1111/1471-8847.00057.
to assess the attitudes of judges in Beirut, Lebanon, regarding end-of-life issues such as assisted suicide and withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
85% of all currently acting and in-training judges and public prosecutors in Beirut (N=135) were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire that assessed attitudes toward intervention in five hypothetical cases. The associations of attitudes, on a scale from least to most 'sympathetic' toward assisting those who desire to end their lives, were measured by a variety of personal, social and professional variables.
younger individuals, and those who have not yet been formally appointed as judges, were significantly more sympathetic to withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining devices when patients or their proxies requested it, and more in support of assisted suicide. Gender, religious denomination, religious practice, and personal experience with prolonged illness leading to death among close friends or family, were generally not significant predictors of respondents' attitudes. Years of experience as a judge correlated strongly with age and may have contributed to its predictive effect.
a relatively more sympathetic attitude among younger judges, many of them women, and among trainees, may reflect a historical evolution in younger age-groups in Lebanon today. A survey of opinions in the public may help reach a more conclusive understanding in this regard. In any case, judges in Lebanon will remain important partners in the debate, as they will continue to be the final interpreters of the letter of the law in end-of-life issues.
评估黎巴嫩贝鲁特法官对诸如协助自杀以及停止或撤销维持生命治疗等临终问题的态度。
对贝鲁特所有现任及正在接受培训的法官和检察官（N = 135）中的85%进行了问卷调查，该问卷评估了对五个假设案例中干预措施的态度。通过各种个人、社会和职业变量来衡量对协助那些希望结束生命的人从最不“同情”到最“同情”的态度之间的关联。
更年轻的个体以及那些尚未被正式任命为法官的人，在患者或其代理人提出请求时，对撤销或停止维持生命设备明显更具同情心，并且更支持协助自杀。性别、宗教派别、宗教活动以及亲密朋友或家人中因长期疾病导致死亡的个人经历，通常不是受访者态度的显著预测因素。担任法官的年限与年龄密切相关，可能对其预测作用有所贡献。
相对而言，更年轻的法官（其中许多是女性）以及实习生中态度更为同情，这可能反映了当今黎巴嫩年轻人群体中的一种历史演变。对公众意见进行调查可能有助于在这方面达成更具结论性的理解。无论如何，黎巴嫩的法官将仍然是这场辩论中的重要伙伴，因为他们将继续是临终问题法律条文的最终解释者。
