NATION IN BRIEF : ILLINOIS : AMA Rethinking on Suicide Aid Urged

Two doctors urged the American Medical Assn. to reconsider its long-standing opposition to physician-assisted suicide as the practice gains favor and captures the attention of the courts. “What business is it of organized medicine to require the continuation of agony when the result is imminent and inevitable?” asked Dr. David P. Carter, a family doctor from Pawtucket, R.I., at the AMA’s annual meeting in Chicago. In addition, retired Illinois radiologist Ulrich F. Danckers asked the AMA to be neutral on the issue until public opinion, courts and state legislatures have decided which way to go. More than 400 delegates are attending the meeting. Any policy decided is not legally binding but guides the AMA.