The Star in Canada reported 13 Feb.2015:
More than three quarters of Canadians support the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling last week legalizing physician-assisted suicide, according to a new Forum Research poll.
The survey of 1,018 adult Canadians conducted Monday and Tuesday, after Friday’s unanimous decision by the top court, found 78 per cent of respondents favour the ruling.
Of those in favour, 60 per cent approve “strongly’’ of the court’s decision.
Fifteen per cent of respondents said they disapproved of the ruling — 9 per cent “strongly’’ — while 7 per cent had no opinion.
Sixty-one per cent of respondents said they would consider assisted suicide themselves if they were in seriously ill condition or intolerable pain.
The poll results are a change from the survey Forum conducted in December 2011, with 1,160 respondents. At that time 67 per cent favoured legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, 21 per cent were opposed, and 12 per cent didn’t know how they felt.
The latest poll shows support for assisted suicide is strongest in Quebec at 71 per cent — where right-to-die legislation is currently in force — and weakest in Alberta at 50 per cent.
