Ethics

AAHPM Updates Position Statement on Physician-Assisted Dying

Gregg K. VandeKieft, MD MA FAAHPM

A revised position statement on physician-assisted dying (PAD) has been approved by AAHPM’s Board of Directors and is now available online at aahpm.org/positions/pad.

The Academy’s initial position on PAD was published in 1997 after Oregon became the first state to legalize the practice, and the position statement was later revised in 2007. In 2014, AAHPM began a process to review that statement and consider whether further updates were in order. The Ethics Committee proposed initial revisions, and the Academy’s Advocacy & Awareness Strategic Coordinating Committee (SCC)—which includes leaders of the Ethics, External Awareness, and Public Policy Committees—was charged with providing additional examination and input. Member feedback, obtained via online survey and a town hall-style session at the 2016 Annual Assembly, was also solicited and incorporated. The SCC proposed a final updated draft that the Board reviewed and amended before it was published in August 2016.