Euthanasia and the American College of Physicians Ethics Manual

Excerpt

To the Editor: The American College of Physicians should be complimented on its recently revised ethics manual (1). In it, the College states unequivocally that "active euthanasia is a euphemism for the intentional killing of a person" and that the physician engaged in euthanasia would be "guilty of homicide" (1). A correspondent (2) criticizes these statements as "sensationalist and unworthy."

As the basis for its position on euthanasia, the College states that euthanasia is "contrary to public policy, medical tradition, and the most fundamental measures of human value and worth." The correspondent points out, quite logically, that public policy laws