Opinion
CEJA: Ethics code does not allow physician participation in an execution
LETTER — Posted Aug. 6, 2007
Regarding "Ready day or night to ensure execution takes place on schedule" (Letters, July 2): Robert J. Cain, MD, of Starkville, Miss., wrote that capital punishment is an appropriate punishment and physician involvement is acceptable, and should be rendered when necessary. The AMA's Code of Medical Ethics has, for nearly three decades, held that physician participation in capital punishment is unethical. This prohibition stems from the fundamental tenet that physicians are members of a healing profession dedicated to preserving life.
The code recognizes that while an individual physician's opinion on the appropriateness of capital punishment is a personal moral decision, there is no place for a physician to participate in an execution.
The AMA Code of Medical Ethics sets forth ethical standards that seek to justify and strengthen the public trust in our profession. The AMA calls on all physicians to abide by the code.
Mark Levine, MD, chair, AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/08/06/edlt0806.htm.
