CMA Speaks Out Against Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill
[Posted 04/14/05]

CMA President Michael Sexton, M.D., testified on Tuesday before the Assembly Judiciary Committee in opposition to a bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in California. The bill (AB 654) is modelled after the 1997 Oregon law that allows terminally ill patients to request lethal medication from physicians.

“The role of the physician is to not abandon the patient, but to provide compassionate care,” said Dr. Sexton. “We understand that the best interests of our patients is to utilize advances in pain therapy and end-of-life care. And it’s in this direction that our ethical compass clearly points."

Dr. Sexton’s remarks reflect the policy set by CMA’s House of Delegates, which in March voted to maintain the long-standing view of CMA that physician-assisted suicide violates the fundamental ethic of the medical profession to “do no harm.”

Despite CMA’s opposition, the judiciary committee approved the bill by a vote of 5 to 3. The bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the to the Assembly floor for a full debate.

Contact: Brett Michelin, 916/444-5532 or bmichelin@cmanet.org.