American Medical Association stands firmly against assisted suicide in vote

The American Medical Association (AMA) remains strongly opposed to assisted suicide, calling it incompatible with a physician’s role in healing, Patients Rights Action Fund (PRAF) reported.

Over 600 voting delegates overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to change the association’s longstanding policy against the practice during a meeting in Chicago last week. Voting members include state-level medical societies, national specialty groups and associations representing specific professional interests.

Additionally, voters approved a measure to continue using the phrase “physician-assisted suicide.” 

“In 2016, the AMA initiated a three-year study of physician-assisted suicide, which culminated in the AMA House of Delegates reaffirming the AMA Code of Medical Ethics in 2019,” Dr. Jeff White, PRAF board member and former AMA House of Delegates member, said in a statement this week. “Nothing has changed in the ensuing years to warrant a change in AMA policy and terminology. 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.” 

Softer terms could apply to palliative care but not assisted suicide, the association’s board of trustees said. 

“Descriptors such as Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), physician aid-in-dying, and death with dignity could apply to palliative care practices and compassionate care near the end of life that do not include intending the death of patients. … This degree of ambiguity is unacceptable for providing ethical guidance,” AMA wrote. 

The vote comes as several Democrat-led states push to legalize assisted suicide. 

Delaware legalized it last month while the New York Legislature sent a bill to legalize it to the governor. Meanwhile, the Illinois House of Representatives passed such a measure last week. 

Eleven states, mostly Democrat-led ones, have legalized assisted suicide. Since legalizing it, some states have expanded the scope of the practice. 

For example, Oregon and Vermont ended residency requirements for out-of-staters in 2022 and 2023, respectively.  

Colorado passed a law in 2024 cutting the waiting period between oral requests from 15 days to seven, establishing waiting-period waivers for some patients and letting advanced practice registered nurses prescribe it.  

Additionally, Canada legalized assisted suicide in 2016. By 2022, it became the country’s fifth-leading cause of death, rising from 1,018 cases in 2016 to 13,241 cases in 2022.