or is permitted in some cases to allow a terminally ill patient to die if that is the expressed wish of the patient. However, the AMA makes a distinction between this type of euthanasia and the "assisted suicide" which occurs when a doctor actively kills a patient. According to a 1973 statement by the AMA: "The intentional termination of the life of one human being by another - mercy killing - is contrary to that for which the medical profession stands and is contrary to the policy of the American Medical Association."
Many members of the medical profession are concerned about what would happen to the doctor-patient relationship if euthanasia were legalized. In particular, it is feared that legalized euthanasia would undermine the feeling of trust which is essential in an effective doctor-patient relationship. On a specific level, seriously ill patients might worry that their doctors will put them "out of their misery" without their consent. On a more general level, legalized euthanasia would probably increase the fears that people have about the medical profession. By undermining the sense of trust that is normally found in doctor-patient relationships, legalized euthanasia "would undoubtedly magnify all the latent fear of doctors and hospitals harbo
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