The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) stood by its longtime policy of opposing physician-assisted suicide in a statement last week, as a hearing on a bill legalizing the practice for terminally ill took place before the Legislature’s Public Health Committee.
The MMS, a professional organization representing physicians, said the primary basis for the opposition is the desire to adhere to the American Medical Association’s Code of Ethics, which says allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would do more harm than good.
“Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer. Instead of participating in assisted suicide, physicians must aggressively respond to the needs of patients at the end of life,” according to the American Medical Association.
The MMS has kept a policy of opposition to assisted suicide since 1996, but it opted to revisit the topic earlier this year, launching a survey of its 25,000 physician members to analyze their thoughts on the practice. The survey is expected to be complete in December, according to the MMS.
Overall opposition to physician-assisted suicide in the Bay State may be waning, as a ballot question aimed at legalizing it was only narrowly defeated in 2012.
