Reason.com
Painful Lessons
With the U.S. Supreme Court considering whether terminal patients have a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, the American Medical Association remains firmly opposed to the idea. But in December the AMA announced an educational campaign, including national, regional, and local training conferences, aimed at reducing the demand for such extreme measures. Among other things, the conferences will urge doctors to make sure they do all they can to relieve their patients' pain.
That injunction might seem commonsensical--it is, after all, part of the Hippocratic oath--but physicians are often reluctant to prescribe adequate amounts of narcotic painkillers. "Opiophobia" results from unreasonable fears about addiction and not-so- unreasonable fears about attracting attention from state regulators or the Drug Enforcement Administration. (See "No Relief in Sight," January.)
"Many physicians don't understand that not only does a patient have the right to refuse life- sustaining treatment, but he also has the right to receive high doses of morphine to control his pain," Dr. Judith Ahronheim, deputy executive director of Choice in Dying, told the Chicago Tribune. "Because these doctors were not trained well in medical school, they really need help now."
More Articles by Jacob Sullum
- Is That a Spy in Your Pocket?, Jacob Sullum, May 23, 2012
- Romney's Gay Marriage Challenge, Jacob Sullum, May 16, 2012
- Obama's Gay Marriage Equivocation, Jacob Sullum, May 9, 2012
Most Popular Stories
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
- When Government Privileges Trump the Rights of Citizens (5.25)
- 5 Classic Teen Sex-and-Drug Freakouts: Rainbow Parties, Butt-Chugging, And So Much More (By Which We Mean Less) (5.27)
- Is the Ron Paul the Best Hope for Progressives? (5.25)
- Do Organic Consumers Shop Exclusively at the Jerk Store? (5.26)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
nfl jerseys|11.16.10 @ 3:31AM|#
thgfhngv