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Automatically revocation of a doctor license in an assisted suicide

JEFFERSON CITY - Revoking the license of a physician who had assisted in a suicide is the goal of a bill sponsored by Rep. Jon Bennett, R-St. Charles.

"One of the biggest problems we have in Missouri is that the statute makes assisted suicide illegal, however it does not revoke a license from a physician, if a physician is involved," Bennett said.

Assisted suicide is not practiced in Missouri, according to the chief lobbyist of the Catholic Conference, Lou DeFoe. But Bennett says the bill is needed to revoke a license to a physician.

"The issue what I am addressing is a medical professional with taking an oath to safe lives violating that oath and using their power to actually cause the death," Bennett said.

"I don't think that our medical professionals should be involved and if they are involved then I don't think they should be medical professionals any longer, and that is the basis for the bill".

The Missouri State Medical Association supports the concept of revoking a license. However, Tom Halloway with the association, says the bill violates due process. "Automatically revocation based on evidence is unconstitutional," Halloway said.

But Bennett said he wants to avoid tying license revocation to a court trial.

"If a doctor participates in an assisted suicide and he goes to trial and he is able to convince the jury that this poor person really needed to die and therefore they don't find the doctor guilty, his license is not revoked," Bennett said.

The bills doesn't apply to a physician who participates in an execution for the Department of Corrections or who follows the directions of a living will for health-care decisions.