The World Medical Association reiterates its rejection of euthanasia and remains firmly opposed to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, as stipulated in the World Medical Association (WMA) Statement on Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.
Ethically appropriate end-of-life care should routinely promote patient autonomy and shared decision-making, and be respectful of the values of the patient, his or her family or close associates, and representative(s).
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The WMA recognizes that attitudes and beliefs toward death and dying vary widely from culture to culture and between different religions, and palliative care resources are unequally distributed. The approach to end-of-life care will be significantly influenced by these factors, and therefore attempting to develop detailed universal guidelines on end-of-life care is neither practical nor intelligent. Therefore, the AMM articulates the following:
The WMA remains firmly opposed to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, as stipulated in the WMA Statement on Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide.
Palliative care at the end of life is part of good medical care. (…) Its objective is to maintain the dignity of the patient and the absence of distressing symptoms.
National medical associations should oppose laws or regulations that unduly prevent physicians from providing intensive and clinically appropriate treatment of patients’ symptoms at the end of life in accordance with recognized best practices.
Sedation for unconsciousness should never be used to intentionally cause the death of a patient and should be restricted to patients in the final stages of terminal illness. Every effort should be made to obtain the consent of the patient or the patient’s surrogates.
The education of health professionals should include teaching the medical care of terminal illness.
Strongly recommends advance planning of wishes: Physicians should be educated to encourage their patients to formally document their goals, values, and treatment preferences and to designate a surrogate health care decision maker with whom the patient can discuss their values in advance with regarding medical care and treatment.
Governments and research institutions are urged to invest additional resources in the development of treatments to improve care at the end of life.
If a patient indicates a desire to die or expresses suicidal thoughts, the physician has a duty to engage in open and confidential discussions with the patient to understand the motives and reasoning behind these thoughts.
When the patient dies, the physician may apply means necessary to keep the organs viable for transplantation, provided that he or she proceeds in accordance with the ethical standards set forth in the WMA Declaration of Sydney on the Certification of Death and the Recovery of Organs.
National medical associations should oppose laws or regulations that unduly prevent physicians from providing intensive and clinically appropriate treatment of patients’ symptoms at the end of life in accordance with recognized best practices.
Sedation for unconsciousness should never be used to intentionally cause the death of a patient and should be restricted to patients in the final stages of terminal illness. Every effort should be made to obtain the consent of the patient or the patient’s surrogates.
The education of health professionals should include teaching the medical care of terminal illness.
Strongly recommends advance planning of wishes: Physicians should be educated to encourage their patients to formally document their goals, values, and treatment preferences and to designate a surrogate health care decision maker with whom the patient can discuss their values in advance with regarding medical care and treatment.
Governments and research institutions are urged to invest additional resources in the development of treatments to improve care at the end of life.
If a patient indicates a desire to die or expresses suicidal thoughts, the physician has a duty to engage in open and confidential discussions with the patient to understand the motives and reasoning behind these thoughts.
When the patient dies, the physician may apply means necessary to keep the organs viable for transplantation, provided that he or she proceeds in accordance with the ethical standards set forth in the WMA Declaration of Sydney on the Certification of Death and the Recovery of Organs.
