At its annual meeting on Monday, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) decisively reaffirmed the organisation’s longstanding opposition to physician-assisted suicide. Delegates voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal that sought to alter current AMA policy, thereby maintaining the association’s established stance. The meeting also approved a Board of Trustees report that defended the continued use of the term “physician-assisted suicide” in official policy, rejecting calls to revise the terminology.
The AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics, which dates back to 1994, states: “Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.” In 2019, the House of Delegates similarly upheld this language with a strong majority vote. The 2025 Board of Trustees report reiterated this position, stating that “the profession of medicine should not support the legalisation or practice of physician-assisted suicide or see it as part of a physician’s role.”
Life News reports that a proposal to change the term to “medical aid in dying” was also rejected. According to the Board of Trustees, descriptors such as “Medical Aid in Dying” (MAID), “physician aid-in-dying,” and “death with dignity” could be misinterpreted as referring to palliative or end-of-life care that does not involve intentionally causing a patient’s death. The Board concluded that such ambiguity is unacceptable in ethical policy language.
The AMA’s House of Delegates, which includes representatives from state medical associations, national specialty societies, and various interest groups, serves as the association’s principal legislative and policy-making body.
This decision has been welcomed by many, particularly healthcare workers, as a clear reaffirmation of ethical clarity and professional responsibility.