Group Poised To Move on Key Life Issue
At its recent national meeting, the American Medical Association (AMA) took steps to move away from its long-standing opposition to doctor-assisted suicide.
It directed its Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs to study the so-called “aid-in-dying” as an end-of-life option and to develop a recommendation toward the AMA taking a neutral position on doctor-prescribed death. The decision means physicians are one step closer to losing the right to fight for our patients and their families at times when they need us most.
Traditionally, the AMA and its state medical societies have taken the position that every life is worth fighting for. Meanwhile, a “neutral” position taken by some state medical societies actually opened the door to giving doctors legal cover to prescribe deadly drugs for patients in that state.
Dangerous Territory
The AMA’s recent flirtation with state-sanctioned suicide takes it, and all of us, into dangerous territory as doctor-prescribed death:
- Endangers the doctor-patient relationship by introducing suicide as a legal treatment option;
- In a climate of profit-driven health care, allows cost savings concerns of the patient or doctor to be a legitimate reason for suicide;
- Doctors get it wrong; this position fails to protect patients from misdiagnoses or inaccurate prognoses, or depression-induced requests to die;
- Puts vulnerable patients at risk for being pressured or coerced into suicide by weary caregivers or greedy heirs; and
- Provides little oversight of the process and control over medications in states where it’s legal.
Your Voice is Needed― Take Action Today
It’s critical this long-standing protection from the medical profession continues.
That’s why we’re asking you to contact both the national AMA, as well as your state medical society, urging each to oppose legalization of doctor-assisted suicide.
Please let your concerns be known by contacting these groups.
And, please forward this message so your friends and family, too, can take action.
- CALL: Call the national AMA office: (800) 262-3211. You can also reach out to the AMA via its webpage http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/membership/contact-us.page
- CALL: Your State Medical Board: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/becoming-physician/medical-licensure/state-medical-boards.page
- EMAIL: Email your concerns to the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs at ceja@ama-assn.org.
Let’s focus on empowering people to live every moment.
