The Physicians for Mercy released these guidelines which they believe should become an accepted standard of care for physicians aiding in the suicide of terminally ill patients. According to the guidelines, assisted suicide should be provided only by an "obitiatrist," (a medical specialty not yet recognized) and no fee should be charged for the service. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is a member of this Michigan-based group.

Physicians for Mercy

Approved Guidelines for Patholysis (Medically-Assisted Suicide)

1. The request for patholysis must be made voluntarily by the patient.

2. The request must be in writing, dated, and signed by the patient and by any physician involved in the request, as well as signed by two competent adults as witnesses having no financial relationship with the patient and no financial interest in the patient's life or death. The signatures of the witnesses must be notarized.

3. The request thus validated is to be forwarded to a qualified obitiatrist who will refer the patient for medical consultation to:

• a specialist dealing with the patient's specific affliction
• a specialist in pain management (if pain is a major factor)
• a psychiatrist (in every case)

4. The above consultations must verify the patient's mental competence with regard to making an independent informed decision, and verify that the affliction is incurable, that the agony cannot be relieved or controlled, and/or that the side effects of pain management or medical therapy are intolerable for the patient.

5. Completed reports of all consultations must conform to current medical standards. The reports are to be sent to the obitiatrist, or with the requesting physician, or with another physician designated by the patient.

6. The time and site of the final patholytic procedure are to be decided solely by the patient. This decision must be made within three weeks after review of the consultation reports; the decision must be documented as an informed consent in writing, dated, timed, and signed by the patient under conditions set forth in paragraph two (2) above.

7. The final patholytic procedure must be performed within seventy-two (72) hours of the time of signing of the informed consent, but no sooner than twenty four (24) hours from the date of such signing.

8. This entire process from the initial request to the final patholytic procedure shall be constantly under the control of the patient who may stop it at any time.

9. Every physician involved at any time in the entire process delineated herein (except the obitiatrist) may be present to observe or console, but will not participate actively in the final procedure of patholysis.

10. The final action is to be performed only by an obitiatrist and there will be no professional fee for the service.