Catholic Medical Association Applauds AMA for Upholding Opposition to Assisted Suicide

PHILADELPHIA, PA--The Catholic Medical Association applauds the American Medical Association (AMA) for upholding the dignity of life and remaining opposed to assisted suicide. “The Catholic Medical Association commends the AMA on their commitment to life and good medicine, said CMA President, Dr. John Schirger.” “We remain steadfast to the protection of life in all of its stages and must continue to preserve the trust patients have in their physicians never to abandon them,” Dr. Schirger added.

CMA believes the AMA’s overwhelming vote (71%) to oppose assisted suicide reinforces our efforts to present sound rationales for protecting every human life entrusted to health care professionals. “The medical profession is based upon the commitment to heal and protect life even if a cure is not possible. Physician Assisted Suicide is incompatible with our role as physicians and undermines the trust patients have placed in us,” said Dr. Peter Morrow, Immediate Past President of CMA. “Every human life, from conception until death, has innate human dignity from the Creator; and reason tells us that when the role of the healer is distorted to violate human life, the role of healer is delegitimized, resulting in a complete loss of societal trust in the profession. This vote has reversed this trend and is a great victory for society,” said Dr. Marie Hilliard, Co-Chair of CMA’s Ethics Committee. CMA is hopeful that the AMA’s renewed opposition to assisted suicide will provide people with a better understanding of this matter. We will continue to spread the critical knowledge needed to ensure the lives of patients are never in jeopardy.

Catholic Medical Association——Bio and Archives

The Catholic Medical Association is a national, physician-led community of over 2,200 healthcare professionals consisting of 104 local guilds. CMA’s mission is to inform, organize, and inspire its members, in steadfast fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church, to uphold the principles of the Catholic faith in the science and practice of medicine.