“The code of ethics cannot be changed on such a controversial question without hearing from doctors first.
If the ethics code needs to be changed following an alteration in the law allowing for assisted death on request, we would have to hold a referendum”, he said.
In a debate on euthanasia, cancer specialist Jorge Espírito Santo was one of the doctors who argued that the topic has to be debated internally by the medical class as they are trained to save lives and help dying with dignity.
Santos said that palliative care “was not for everyone”, and that euthanasia should be a permitted personal choice.