American Medical Association reaffirms opposition to euthanasia and assisted suicide

The American Medical Association (AMA) voted during its annual meeting on June 9 to uphold its opposition to euthanasia and assisted suicide.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• In its recent House of Delegates annual meeting, the AMA, which is the nation’s largest organization representing physicians, reiterated its stance opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide.

• The stance upholds a vote on the issue by members in 2023.

THE DETAILS:

The AMA’s opposition to assisted suicide can be found in its HOD Handbook, which states:

Of note, the AMA’s position on physician assisted suicide is not a position of neutrality and establishes that the profession of medicine should not support the legalization or practice of physician assisted suicide or see it as part of a physician’s role.

The organization’s code of medical ethics further breaks down its stance while calling on physicians to heal, not harm, saying:

Physician-assisted suicide occurs when a physician facilitates a patient’s death by providing the necessary means and/or information to enable the patient to perform the life-ending act (e.g., the physician provides sleeping pills and information about the lethal dose, while aware that the patient may commit suicide).

It is understandable, though tragic, that some patients in extreme duress—such as those suffering from a terminal, painful, debilitating illness—may come to decide that death is preferable to life. However, permitting physicians to engage in assisted suicide would ultimately cause more harm than good.

Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.

Instead of engaging in assisted suicide, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life.

The organization’s decision to maintain its opposition was praised by advocacy groups like the Patients’ Right Action Fund: “We are extremely pleased with the results of the AMA House of Delegates vote and its recognition that physicians are trained to heal and must not perform euthanasia or participate in assisted suicide!”

The vote came on the same day that lawmakers in New York voted to legalize assisted suicide in the state.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

In 2023, the AMA strongly considered changing its stance on the issue, but ultimately voted against the policy change while also voting down a proposal that would have changed the terms assisted suicide and euthanasia to “medical aid in dying.” This euphemism — often used alongside others such as “assisted death” and “medical assistance in dying” — is used to desensitize society to the fact that they help the vulnerable to kill themselves or allow others to kill them.