National panel formed to debate death issues
November 1, 1997 less than 1 minute read
National panel formed to debate death issues
The Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center is forming a national panel to discuss the issues of death, dying, and assisted suicide. The Philadelphia-based center received grants totaling $75,000 from the Walter B. Haas Family Foundation and the Gerbode Foundation, both based in San Francisco. Panel members will include physicians, nurses, religious representatives, attorneys, and bioethics representatives.
"There are continuing reports that some doctors and nurses sometimes engage in practices that hasten the deaths of their terminally ill patients in response to their requests," says Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, director of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics. "While a ruling has been made declaring state bans constitutional, it is still imperative that the health professions and society understand exactly what is at stake should physician-assisted suicide be decriminalized or legalized in the future."
The Center for Bioethics also will embark on a yearlong initiative called Finding Common Ground. (See related news brief, below.)
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