Department of Human Systems Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea.
Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Korea.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 24;19(9):5183. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095183.
This study aimed to investigate the general South Korean public attitudes toward the legalization of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS) and examine the reasons underpinning these attitudes. From March-April 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of a representative national sample of 1000 South Koreans aged 19 years or older. Three in four participants (76.4%) expressed positive attitudes toward the legalization of EAS. Participants who agreed with this legalization reported "meaninglessness of the rest of life" and "right to a good death" as their main reasons. Participants who disagreed with the legalization of EAS reported "respect for life", "violation of the right to self-determination", "risk of abuse or overuse", and "violation of human rights" as theirs. In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, participants with poor physical status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.41, 95%; confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.93) or comorbidity (aOR: 1.84, 95%; CI: 1.19-2.83) showed positive attitudes toward the legalization of EAS. In summary, most of the general South Korean population regards the legalization of EAS positively, especially participants with poor physical status or comorbidity.
本研究旨在调查韩国公众对安乐死或医师协助自杀（EAS）合法化的普遍态度，并探讨这些态度背后的原因。2021 年 3 月至 4 月，我们对 1000 名年龄在 19 岁及以上的韩国代表性全国样本进行了横断面调查。四分之三的参与者（76.4%）对 EAS 的合法化持积极态度。赞成合法化的参与者表示，“余生无意义”和“享有善终的权利”是他们的主要理由。反对 EAS 合法化的参与者则表示，“尊重生命”、“侵犯自我决定权”、“滥用或过度使用的风险”以及“侵犯人权”是他们的理由。在多变量逻辑回归分析中，身体状况较差（调整后的优势比[aOR]：1.41，95%；置信区间[CI]：1.02-1.93）或合并症（aOR：1.84，95%；CI：1.19-2.83）的参与者对 EAS 的合法化持积极态度。总之，大多数韩国公众对 EAS 的合法化持积极态度，特别是身体状况较差或合并症的参与者。
