Legal academics have accused the AMA of branding doctors who are lawfully taking part in voluntary assisted dying as “unethical”.

However, the AMA has defended section 3.1 of the its position statement Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide that says “doctors should not be involved in interventions that have as their primary intention the ending of a person’s life”.

Writing in the June issue of Internal Medicine Journal the lawyers from the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) says the statement opposes voluntary assisted dying (VAD).

“While the AMA statement advocates for high-quality end-of-life care and endorses other end-of-life choices that can relieve suffering, its opposition to VAD is clear and has subsequently been reiterated in public statements and parliamentary submissions,” they wrote.