Physician Participation in Assisted Suicide

Writing under the auspices of the American Medical Association's of the General Counsel, a member of its Ethics and Health Policy discusses the AMA's position on physician participation in assisted for the hopelessly ill. Advocates for assisted suicide see it as a extension of the right of a patient to refuse life-prolonging. Orentlicher disputes this view, maintaining that there is a between acting to hasten death and refraining from delaying it. argues against physician involvement with assisted suicide on the grounds it violates the nature of the physician patient relationship and the role of the doctor as healer. (KIE abstract)