Euthanasia Suicide and Physician-Assisted Suicide - Assisted Suicide's Detractors

In general, physician-assisted suicide is seen as being at odds with the work of doctors and nurses. In 2001 the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) released its position on physician-assisted suicide in "Physician-Assisted Suicide" (Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 135, no. 3, August 7, 2001). The organization stated that it does not support the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. In addition, the organization noted that not only would the routine practice of physician-assisted suicide raise serious ethical concerns, it "would undermine the patient-physician relationship and the trust necessary to sustain it."

In 2005 the ACP—the largest medical specialty society in the United States—again officially opposed physician-assisted suicide. The organization's formal position statement on this topic was published within the fifth edition of its "Ethics Manual" in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine (vol. 142, no. 7, April 5, 2005) and at http://www.acponline.org/ethics/ethicman 5th.htm. The statement reads:

The College does not support legalization of physician-assisted suicide. After much consideration, the College concluded that making physician-assisted suicide legal raised serious ethical, clinical, and social concerns and that the practice might undermine patient trust and distract from reform in end of life care. The College was also concerned with the risks that legalization posed to vulnerable populations, including poor persons, patients with dementia, disabled persons, those from minority groups that have experienced discrimination, those confronting costly chronic illnesses, or very young children. One state, Oregon, has legalized the practice of physician-assisted suicide, and its experience is being reviewed. Other states might legalize this practice, but the major emphasis of the College and its members, including those who might lawfully participate in the practice, must focus on ensuring that all persons facing serious illness can count on good care through to the end of life, with prevention or relief of suffering, commitment to human dignity, and support for the burdens borne by family and friends. Physicians and patients must continue to search together for answers to the problems posed by the difficulties of living with serious illness before death, without violating the physician's personal and professional values, and without abandoning the patient to struggle alone.

In 1994 the American Nurses Association (ANA) position statement on assisted suicide was adopted by its board of directors. The ANA "believes that the nurse should not participate in assisted suicide. Such an act is in violation of the Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (Code for Nurses) and the ethical traditions of the profession. Nurses, individually and collectively, have an obligation to provide comprehensive and compassionate end-of-life care which includes the promotion of comfort and the relief of pain, and at times, foregoing life-sustaining treatments" (http://www.nursingworld.org/readroom/position/ethics/etsuic.htm).

The American Medical Association (AMA) updated its position statement on physician-assisted suicide in 1996. The AMA states: "Allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would 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" (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8459.html).