scholarly journals Guidelines for Physician-Assisted Suicide: Can the Challenge Be Met?

1996 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl H. Coleman ◽  
Alan R. Fleischman
Keyword(s):  
American Medical Association ◽  
Medical Association ◽  
American Medical ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Federal Court ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide ◽  
Direct Control ◽  
Distant Future ◽  
Commit Suicide

The question of legalizing physician-assisted suicide (PAS) has become a serious public debate. Growing interest in assisted suicide reflects a public increasingly fearful of the process of dying, particularly the prospect of dying a painful, protracted, or undignified death. PAS has been proposed as a compassionate response to unrelievable suffering, designed to give terminally or incurably ill individuals direct control over the timing, manner, and circumstances of their death. Although the American Medical Association remains firmly opposed to legalizing PAS, many physicians have begun to express support for the practice, and some have acknowledged that they have helped patients commit suicide despite the existing legal ban.As support for PAS grows, it becomes increasingly likely that the practice will be legalized in at least some states in the not-too-distant future. In 1994, Oregon voters approved a referendum legalizing PAS for competent, terminally ill patients; a federal court injunction preventing the referendum from going into effect is currently on appeal, and it is widely expected that the injunction will be lifted.

scholarly journals Views of united states physicians and members of the American medical association house of delegates on physician-assisted suicide

2001 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 290-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon N. Whitney ◽  
Byron W. Brown ◽  
Howard Brody ◽  
Kirsten H. Alcser ◽  
Jerald G. Bachman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
American Medical Association ◽  
Medical Association ◽  
American Medical ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide

scholarly journals US medical and surgical society position statements on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph G. Barsness ◽  
Casey R. Regnier ◽  
C. Christopher Hook ◽  
Paul S. Mueller
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
American Medical Association ◽  
Medical Association ◽  
American Medical ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide ◽  
Comprehensive List ◽  
Professional Societies ◽  
Potential Risks

Abstract Background An analysis of the position statements of secular US medical and surgical professional societies on physician-assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia have not been published recently. Available statements were evaluated for position, content, and sentiment. Methods In order to create a comprehensive list of secular medical and surgical societies, the results of a systematic search using Google were cross-referenced with a list of societies that have a seat on the American Medical Association House of Delegates. Societies with position statements were identified. These statements were divided into 5 categories: opposed to PAS and/or euthanasia, studied neutrality, supportive, acknowledgement without statement, and no statement. Linguistic analysis was performed using RapidMinder in order to determine word frequency and sentiment respective to individual statements. To ensure accuracy, only statements with word counts > 100 were analyzed. A 2-tailed independent t test was used to test for variance among sentiment scores of opposing and studied neutrality statements. Results Of 150 societies, only 12 (8%) have position statements on PAS and euthanasia: 11 for PAS (5 opposing and 4 studied neutrality) and 9 for euthanasia (6 opposing and 2 studied neutrality). Although the most popular words used in opposing and studied neutrality statements are similar, notable exceptions exist (suicide, medicine, and treatment appear frequently in opposing statements, but not in studied neutrality statements, whereas psychologists, law, and individuals appear frequently in studied neutrality statements, but not in opposing statements). Sentiment scores for opposing and studied neutrality statements do not differ (mean, 0.094 vs. 0.104; P = 0.90). Conclusions Few US medical and surgical societies have position statements on PAS and euthanasia. Among them, opposing and studied neutrality statements share similar linguistic sentiment. Opposing and studied neutrality statements have clear differences, but share recommendations. Both opposing and studied neutrality statements cite potential risks of PAS legalization and suggest that good palliative care might diminish a patient’s desire for PAS.

Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Australian Northern Territory

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Federal Court ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intractable Pain ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide ◽  
Death With Dignity ◽  
Assisted Death ◽  
Court Of Appeals

Over the past year the debate over physician-assisted death has been waged in several courts and legislatures, and before at least one electorate as well. Measure 16, the Oregon Death With Dignity initiative that would permit physician-assisted suicide in some circumstances, was approved by the electorate; but it remains on hold while a permanent injunction issued against it by a Federal judge is reviewed by the United States Court of Appeals. Another Federal court judge's decision that the Washington statute criminalizing physician-assisted suicide was unconstitutional when applied to the case of a competent terminally ill patient in intractable pain, was reversed by a three judge panel of that same United States Court of Appeals.

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