And yet... from the New England Journal of Medicine, an abstract:
Quote:
BACKGROUND
Since the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was passed in November 1994, physicians in Oregon have faced the prospect of legalized physician-assisted suicide. We studied the attitudes and current practices of Oregon physicians in relation to assisted suicide.
Full Text of Background...
METHODS
From March to June 1995, we conducted a cross-sectional mailed survey of all physicians who might be eligible to prescribe a lethal dose of medication if the Oregon law is upheld. Physicians were asked to complete and return a confidential 56-item questionnaire.
Full Text of Methods...
RESULTS
Of the 3944 eligible physicians who received the questionnaire, 2761 (70 percent) responded. Sixty percent of the respondents thought physician-assisted suicide should be legal in some cases, and nearly half (46 percent) might be willing to prescribe a lethal dose of medication if it were legal to do so; 31 percent of the respondents would be unwilling to do so on moral grounds. Twenty-one percent of the respondents have previously received requests for assisted suicide, and 7 percent have complied. Half the respondents were not sure what to prescribe for this purpose, and 83 percent cited financial pressure as a possible reason for such requests. The respondents also expressed concern about complications of suicide attempts and doubts about their ability to predict survival at six months accurately.
Full Text of Results...
CONCLUSIONS
Oregon physicians have a more favorable attitude toward legalized physician-assisted suicide, are more willing to participate, and are currently participating in greater numbers than other surveyed groups of physicians in the United States. A sizable minority of physicians in Oregon objects to legalization and participation on moral grounds. Regardless of their attitudes, physicians had a number of reservations about the practical applications of the act.
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http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056...99602013340507
This, of course, was a survey taken a long time ago, even before Oregon legalized physician assisted suicide. It'd be interesting to see where things stand now, but I couldn't find such an article. From the more recent literature, I think you overstate your case when you say the "vast majority" of physicians feel as you do. I've read several polls at this point, some conducted by professional researchers and I might go so far as to say physicians are 60/40 against physician assisted suicide.
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Originally Posted by AOIIAngel
The physician's job is not to carry out every wish of the patient. That does not constitute harm.
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I don't think anyone would suggest that you're wrong. At least not in absolute terms. That doesn't mean that the physician has the sole authority for deciding what is in the patient's best interests and what is harmful. Doesn't the medical community employ ethics panels for that very reason? Because physicians on their own can sometimes lack objectivity?
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