<P> Among African Americans, education correlates to support for euthanasia . Black Americans without a four - year degree are twice as likely to oppose euthanasia than those with at least that much education . Level of education, however, does not significantly influence other racial groups in the US . Some researchers suggest that African Americans tend to be more religious, a claim that is difficult to substantiate and define . Only black and white Americans have been studied in extensive detail . Although it has been found that minority groups are less supportive of euthanasia than white Americans, there is still some ambiguity as to what degree this is true . </P> <P> A recent Gallup Poll found that 84% of males supported euthanasia compared to 64% of females . Some cite the prior studies showing that women have a higher level of religiosity and moral conservatism as an explanation . Within both sexes, there are differences in attitudes towards euthanasia due to other influences . For example, one study found that black American women are 2.37 times more likely to oppose euthanasia than white American women . African American men are 3.61 times more likely to oppose euthanasia than white American men . </P> <P> In "Gender, Feminism, and Death: Physician - Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia" Susan M. Wolf warns of the gender disparities if euthanasia or physician - assisted suicide were legal . Wolf highlights four possible gender effects: higher incidence of women than men dying by physician - assisted suicide; more women seeking physician - assisted suicide or euthanasia for different reasons than men; physicians granting or refusing requests for assisted suicide or euthanasia because of the gender of the patient; gender affecting the broad public debate by envisioning a woman patient when considering the debate . </P>

When was euthanasia first legalized in the united states