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Assisted Suicide & The Elderly

Most Americans favor letting doctors help the terminally ill hasten their death -- particularly the young, who don't always understand what it's like for an old person dealing with a disabling illness. NPR's Wendy Schmelzer reports that a new survey of the elderly who are sick or depressed shows they are not having suicidal thoughts. Neither are the poor, the poorly educated and minorities who don't always feel in control of their health care. Most oppose assisted suicide.

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