Physician-hastened death. Advisory guidelines for the San Francisco Bay area from the
Bay Area Network of Ethics Committees.
West J Med 1997;
166:370-8. [PMID:
9217447 PMCID:
PMC1304310]
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Abstract
Recent high court opinions and pending Supreme Court rulings on the legality of physician-hastened death necessitate a pragmatic response from the medical profession. Adopting a "harm reduction" perspective on this contentious topic, the Bay Area Network of Ethics Committees developed practice guidelines for responding to a patient request for hastened death. The guidelines will be offered to the local medical community for use by individuals and health care institutions if the practice of physician-hastened death becomes legal. A multidisciplinary consensus process was used in developing the guidelines, which address clinical, ethical, and procedural concerns.
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