Side By Side is a network of local chapters that encourage and minister to women in healthcare marriages through fellowship and Bible study. We are a CMDA ministry for women who are married to medical and dental students, residents and fellows, as well as staff physicians and dentists. We are a non-denominational, Bible-based ministry that is evangelical in nature. We seek to encourage, support and minister to women in medical marriages through fellowship, Bible study and prayer. We commit to standing side by side our husbands, side by side our sisters in Christ and side by side our Lord.
Read MoreAnd so begins a New York Times article about the recent JAMA Internal Medicine analysis of physician pay disparities. The central message of the analysis is that women in healthcare, on average, earn $20,000 less per year than their specialty-matched male colleagues.
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The health effects of same-sex sexual behavior are many. The public, government, and judiciary are being lead to believe that same-sex sexuality is a normal variant with interactions and results equivalent to heterosexual sexuality. However, this position runs contrary to professional literature and the track record of history.
Read MoreWomen Physicians & Dentists in Christ is an outreach ministry to provide resources for Christian women physicians and dentists to integrate their personal, professional and spiritual lives.
Read MoreWhen I entered my family medicine residency, I had a cohort of marijuana-smoking pregnant women to care for. They drove me crazy. Many nights I would come home to my wife and tell her, “If I ever really hate myself, I will figure out a way to treat adolescent, obstetric addiction.”
Read MoreIt is tempting to think sexual harassment is a problem that happens to other people in other places. Sadly, that is not the case. According to Medscape’s 2018 survey of 6,200 physicians, 7 percent of physicians have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the last three years.
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Bristol, Tenn.—November 9, 2023—Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, joined a federal civil rights lawsuit this week in the state of Michigan to protect the unborn, to protect pregnant women and to protect parents. On behalf of 16 plaintiffs, including CMDA, the American Freedom Law Center and the Great Lakes Justice Center filed the lawsuit challenging central elements of Proposal 3 on federal constitutional grounds.
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Member Awards One of the highlights each year during the CMDA National Convention is the presentation of the Servant of Christ, Educator, Missionary and President’s Heritage Awards. You are invited to nominate CMDA colleagues for three of these four awards, while the Missionary of the Year Award is selected by a commission. A one-page summary of the person’s achievements and why they should be considered can…
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Bristol, Tenn.—August 17, 2023—Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, is celebrating a significant court victory to protect the health and safety of women and girls against chemical abortion drugs. In Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a unanimous panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must restore critical safeguards for chemical abortion drugs and disallow their shipment by mail.
Read MoreAre you so busy at work that you struggle to spend time with your family? Perhaps you are feeling the pressure at work to see more and more patients. Or maybe you haven’t made it to church in months because you have too many responsibilities and now you just found out you’re being hit with a medical malpractice case. You’re on overload, life is spinning out of control and there doesn’t seem to be any hope or end in sight. Does this sound like you? If so, one thing is for certain. You are not alone.
Read MoreBristol, Tenn.—May 13, 2022—The 16,000-member Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, today praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case that strikes down the precedents set in both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, effectively ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
Read MoreAs members of the Commission on Human Trafficking of the Christian Medical Association, we are writing to protest the attempt to decriminalize commercial sex with the “Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019”. This attempt to decriminalize the degradation of mostly women and girls in commercial sex as well as the sex buyer is morally and ethically wrong.
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Bristol, Tenn.—April 10, 2023—Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, is praising the order issued last Friday by a federal district court in Texas that will halt the approval of dangerous chemical abortion drugs and protects the health, safety and welfare of women and girls.
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The mission of the CMDA Obstetrics and Gynecology Section is to educate, encourage and equip Christian Practitioners in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health demonstrating the love and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ to patients, to families, to our colleagues, to our communities, and to the world.
Read MoreIn June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court finally corrected the debacle of the Roe v. Wade decision, ending 49 years of federal judicial fiat allowing legal abortion in all 50 states.
Read MoreThe core of CMDA’s ministry happens in local communities where healthcare professionals, residents and students live out the character of Christ. Just like it says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Read MoreThe resources we provide are specifically designed to equip you to integrate your faith into your practice.
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Key Result Area Introducing CMDA’s Community Our outreach ministries are dedicated to transforming the lives of healthcare professionals just like you through evangelism and discipleship. The core of CMDA’s ministry happens in local communities where healthcare professionals, residents and students live out the character of Christ. Campus & Community Specialty Sections Dental Ministries Women Physicians & Dentists Side By Side What Area(s) of CMDA…
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Bristol, Tenn.—October 23, 2023—Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, is excited to unveil its new logo and simplified dues structure. The new look was released today, and it is designed to represent the two distinct elements of CMDA’s vision, which is to bring the HOPE and HEALING of Christ to the world through healthcare professionals.
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The State’s interest in safeguarding maternal health is particularly compelling when abortions are contemplated or performed later in pregnancy. That interest is implicated in so-called “dismemberment” abortions, a procedure that can take place only after the first trimester when the unborn child has limbs and organs to dismember.
Read MoreBristol, Tenn.—June 24, 2022— The 16,000-member Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, today praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case that strikes down the precedents set in both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, effectively ending the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
Read MoreDespite the Authority of Scripture, there are those who are confused on this issue and from that confusion (combined with political correctness) there are professionals guiding individuals through the process of hormonal treatment (as normal) and very tragically, even surgical interventions.
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In partnership with Global Health Outreach, WPDC women are invited to go on mission trips which offer participants an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of refugees, orphans and human trafficking victims around the world.
Read MoreThe Christian Medical & Dental Associations® (CMDA) is made up of the Christian Medical Association (CMA) and the Christian Dental Association (CDA). CMDA provides resources, networking opportunities, education and a public voice for Christian healthcare professionals and students.
Founded in 1931, CMDA provides programs and services supporting its mission to “change hearts in healthcare” with a current membership over 19,000. CMDA promotes positions and addresses policies on healthcare issues; conducts overseas medical evangelism projects; coordinates a network of Christian healthcare professionals for fellowship and professional growth; sponsors student ministries in medical and dental schools; distributes educational and inspirational resources; hosts marriage and family conferences; provides Third World missionary healthcare professionals with continuing education resources; and conducts academic exchange programs overseas. By being the “hands of Jesus” to needy people, CMDA seeks to fulfill His Great Commandment (Matthew 22:39; 25:36) and His Great Commission (Matthew 28:19).
The Christian Medical & Dental Associations® is a 501(c)3 and is governed by a Board of Trustees and House of Delegates. Policies of CMDA are interpreted and applied by the Board of Trustees, which also establishes the guidelines for the executive director and his staff. An elected House of Delegates assists the board with recommendations on courses of action. The House of Delegates is composed of graduate, student, resident and missionary members who are elected for three-year terms by district and meets annually at the CMDA National Convention. Approximately 75 employees currently make up the staff of CMDA in the national office and U.S. field offices.
Read MorePornography is any medium that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to entice sexual imagination. Pornography has no beneficial use but damages human relationships. Mass communication technologies such as the Internet have expanded its reach to an unprecedented degree. Video and virtual reality have intensified its content. The introduction of sex robots that imitate human speech and sexual behaviors and are designed to perform sexual acts with humans are an extreme elaboration of pornography. All of these have dangerous psychological, social, and spiritual consequences.
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On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a landmark decision in which the court held that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.[1] A number of medical professional organizations responded to the decision with public statements. These responses were framed around themes including affirmation of patient autonomy, protection of the doctor-patient relationship, preservation of abortion experience in the training environment and protection of disparately affected populations.
Read MoreChristian Medical & Dental Associations® provides various mission scholarships for student and resident members wishing to spend time overseas as a rotation elective.
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September 5-8, 2024
Come join us for our 2024 conference in Branson, Missouri with the theme: “God Empowered-Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!” Open to all female healthcare professionals.
Sometimes reality is far more awe-inspiring than anything even the most imaginative of writers could dream up. Decades ago, the idea that a woman could become pregnant with her adopted child seemed like science fiction. However, reproductive medicine has long since crossed biological boundaries in ways that once seemed impossible, creating complex problems that require morally sound, technology-driven solutions. Since 2003, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) has been the national leader for one such solution: embryo donation/embryo adoption (ED/EA). The NEDC specializes in honoring life in its very earliest stages and facilitating pregnancies for women who want to carry their adopted children. And these days, the ministry is busier than ever, adding new initiatives and team members to expand the quality and scope of its life-affirming work.
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Bristol, Tenn.—January 4, 2024—Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, today announced a pivotal victory from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that protects the conscience freedoms of healthcare professionals from being forced to perform abortions.
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The mission of the CMDA Obstetrics and Gynecology Section is to educate, encourage and equip Christian Practitioners in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health demonstrating the love and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ to patients, to families, to our colleagues, to our communities, and to the world.
Read MoreThe question of suffering is a big one in depression, since suffering can lead to depression, and depression itself is suffering. We are fortunate to live in a society that is largely insulated from suffering, compared to other places and times where people have had to grapple with the daily reality of illness, death, poverty or war. As a consequence, we are fearful of any kind of suffering.
Read MoreWho we are and what we do. The CMDA Center for Well-being helps Christian healthcare professionals align with God, optimize well-being and maximize influence.
Read MoreWho we are and what we do. The CMDA Center for Well-being helps Christian healthcare professionals align with God, optimize well-being and maximize influence.
Read More: I became involved with CMDA during my second year of medical school. God was working in my life at that time through several events, and in CMDA I found a welcoming, loving, supporting group of friends who loved the Lord and encouraged me in my spiritual growth.
Read MoreRight of Conscience Resources
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When you first begin considering the idea of volunteering, the simple thought might be overwhelming for a busy healthcare professional who’s trying to balance obligations at work, at home, at church, in the clinic, on campus and across a host of other areas. It’s no surprise that many of us in healthcare would steer far away from volunteering because there are just not enough hours in the day, not to mention enough margin in our schedules.
Read MoreSent home, shut in isolation, studying in our bedrooms, trying to survive our first year of medical school, and we weren’t even at school! When the four of us entered medical school in the Detroit, Michigan area in fall of 2020, it certainly trumped any expectations we had.
Read MoreThe Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) has developed this policy on “medical marijuana” with both an inherent belief that the Bible is the Word of God–that it speaks into our time and culture and that God gave us his creation to use to its fullest potential—and with the incorporation of scientific evidence which provides a window into the truths about God’s creation.
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OB/Gyn Head of Department wanted at Kanad Hospital. Kanad Hospital, a Christian Mission hospital in Al Ain, UAE, is looking for an OB/Gyn Head of Department with strong leadership skills. The ideal candidate should be board certified, have laparoscopic skills and share our values of honoring God and providing loving healthcare to women and children. Past experience as HOD and involvement in quality works are preferred. Interested candidates should contact intentional@kanadhospital.org.
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Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June 2022, the acrimony within the abortion debate has increased exponentially, accompanied by a marked increase in the amount of misinformation contained in the debate.
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The June 28, 2022 piece by Rita Rubin in the Medical News & Perspectives section of JAMA, “How Abortion Bans Could Affect Care for Miscarriage and Infertility,” presents a one-sided narrow view of the potential impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on women’s reproductive care, specifically the management of miscarriages and advanced reproductive technologies.
Read MoreCMDA Upstate SC is a chapter of the national Christian Medical & Dental Associations® ministry. We mentor medical students and equip physicians and allied healthcare professionals to glorify God through vocation, service and sharing their hope in Jesus Christ.
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We are dedicated to serving as a Christian voice on today’s current healthcare topics by speaking for our members to the government, media, church and public. Our Washington Office links our members with Congress, the Administration and policy organizations in Washington, D.C.; presents life-honoring perspectives through the national media; and publishes resources on vital issues.
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In this installment, we consider myths concerning marriage, sexual “repression” and the impact of the sexual revolution for women.
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I had lunch with some dear friends today—Christian women physicians who have been my friends for almost 20 years. We talked about medicine—the woes of the current healthcare system. And we said we couldn’t imagine how things would continue, given the problems our healthcare system faces. We talked about parenting—the challenges of raising daughters. And we said we couldn’t imagine how kids could process social media and technology in a healthy way. We talked about our churches—the deep divisions between the maskers and non-maskers over the last couple of years. And we said we couldn’t imagine how the wounds could be healed. We talked about politics—the uncompromising partisan viewpoints on both sides of the aisle. And we said we couldn’t imagine how people could learn to work together given the depth of the divide.
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Like me, you probably entered the medical field because you wanted to help people who were in significant need, facing challenges, and for whom you could have a substantial positive impact. You may have gone in with the goal to save lives. In healthcare, we have the privilege of helping people at some of their most vulnerable points, while also being a light shining into their darkness. For many women, that moment arrives for them after they have taken mifepristone (RU-486) with the intention of ending their pregnancy.
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“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all’” (Proverbs 31:28-29, NIV).
Read MoreOn October 31, 2022, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published an issue brief claiming pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) use various “tactics” such as “misleading information” and “emotional manipulation” to dissuade pregnant women from seeking life-affirming help.
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When I sit among the women of our local Side By Side chapter, I sit among power. Wives of physicians, some physicians themselves, some experts in other fields, some nursing stay-at-home moms. A group diverse in age and background and current employment, but always powerful.
Read MoreHe spoke of the Lord often as we addressed his malignancy, acknowledging Jesus as the one he trusted with his health. But somehow, he sidetracked us into a conversation about his sexual exploits in ways that were natural to him but too graphic for me. I was somewhat perplexed by these two lines of conversation that seemed a bit oxymoronic.
Read MoreCMDA Birmingham’s vision is to strengthen and equip physicians, PA’s, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, students, and other healthcare professionals with the wisdom and compassion of Christ as they transform their professional fields through holistic care. Through this network of Christ-centered, compassionate caregivers, people receive the latest medical treatment through the transformative power of the gospel.
Read MoreMembership Donate About GHO Trips Find a Trip Trip Preparation Urgent Needs Resources Application Information Team Participant Manual Trip Preparation Mission Scholarships Additional Resources FAQs GHO Blog Contact FIND A TRIP TRIP COSTS What kinds of things do my Global Health Outreach trip fees cover? Trip costs are in three main categories. Airline travel to get you from your home to the main airport in…
Read MoreChristian Medical & Dental Associations® Policy and Issues homepage.
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Bristol, Tenn.—April 10, 2023—Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which is the nation’s largest faith-based professional healthcare association, is praising the order issued last Friday by a federal district court in Texas that will halt the approval of dangerous chemical abortion drugs and protects the health, safety and welfare of women and girls.
Read MoreWe publish a wide variety of informational print, audio and electronic publications that are designed to encourage, equip and motivate our members.
Read MoreFor more than 80 years, we have pursued one goal—to transform the lives of healthcare professionals so they can transform the world. Through more than 40 programs including campus and community ministries, medical missions, public policy and much more, CMDA continues to be a driving force in healthcare—enriching hundreds of thousands of lives each year.
Read MoreEvery five years, the CMDA Board of Trustees goes through a cycle of comprehensive strategic planning. This well-thought out process has guided and directed the organization throughout the last 25 years, as it focuses on better meeting the needs of our members and providing ministry to those we serve around the world.
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Preparing to meet my next patient, I pick the next chart up off the counter. “Bob Smith,” married middle-aged patient, chief complaint: STD check. “Weird,” I think, “Mary Smith’s husband’s name is Bob, too. What a coincidence.” I open the exam room door, and Mary Smith’s husband, Bob Smith, is sitting inside.
Read MoreOver the last two years, CMDA’s dental outreach has developed into a two-pronged approach, ministering to traditional private dental professionals and also those seeking to serve the underserved, both domestically and internationally. Vice President for Dental Ministries Dr. William “Griff” Griffin focuses primarily on engaging with our dental members, while Vice President for Dental Education Dr. Jeff Amstutz is developing general practice dental residency programs to equip dentists in ministering to the poor in the name of Jesus. Both aspects of CMDA’s Dental Ministries have been made possible by the generosity of the late Dr. Pete Dawson, who we seek to honor in this article, as we trace the Lord’s guiding hand over the last decade.
Read More“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
—Psalm 51:10, ESV
It must start with us.
Many things have been laid bare this year. In late 2019, a novel Coronavirus referred to as SARS-CoV-2 originating in Wuhan, Hubei, China spread to the United States becoming a global pandemic. By mid-July of this year, there were close to 13 million confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide, with around six million active cases affecting more than 200 countries. In the United States, there have been more than three million COVID-19 cases (with more than one million recovered) and more than 500,000 deaths. We would soon learn that African Americans—who make up 13 percent of the U.S. population—disproportionately comprise U.S. COVID-19 fatalities, with many having underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. Income and wealth inequalities also tend to create greater disparities within communities of color, making access to adequate healthcare and healthy living an elusive and unaffordable necessity.
Read MoreI still remember the first time I donned a whitecoat (one of those half-length coats for students) with a stethoscope in my pocket and walked into a patient room at the big city hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1985. I was a second-year medical student at Indiana University, and I had just received instruction from my clinical instructor on how to perform a thorough history and physical. I don’t remember my first patient’s name, but she was a young woman with a loud systolic heart murmur even I could hear. I also remember three words that were to guide me through each step of a thorough physical exam: “Look, listen and feel.” A couple of years later, those three words became critical again as I took my first basic life support (BLS) course and became certified both in BLS and Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), prior to becoming a surgical resident. Again, the phrase, “Look, listen and feel,” was the guiding mantra to get my first BLS certification card.
Read MoreIn the closing months of 1989, a brutal civil war erupted in Liberia and soon engulfed the small West African country. At the time, T. Abraham Browne was in high school, and the senseless killings forced him and his siblings to flee for their lives to escape the bloodshed. They reached a refugee camp where Abraham would spend the next 10 years.
Read MoreIn this article from the Spring 2019 edition of Today’s Christian Doctor, we feature Shelby Montgomery, a third year at LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received my bachelor’s of science in kinesiology at LSU in Baton Rouge, spending her junior year of undergrad at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on the island of Oahu through National Student Exchange. After graduating from LSU, I worked for one year at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge as a research coordinator for the Heads Up project.
Read MoreAs you know, several U.S. jurisdictions have passed legislation giving doctors immunity from civil and criminal liability for assisting the suicide of persons diagnosed with terminal disabilities. Tragically, in these jurisdictions and for this class of persons, and for them alone, suicides are now facilitated by physicians, usually with no psychological assessment or other medical treatment, typically with no consultation with family and loved ones, and in every case without the interventions and protections provided as a matter of course to all other suicidal persons.
Read MoreRight of Conscience Resources
Read MoreA brief filed by Americans United for Life in support of Plaintiffs, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Bruce Rauner and Bryan Schneider. Amici includes American Association of Prolife Obstetricians and Gynecologist, American College of Pediatricians, Christian Medical and Dental Associations and Heartbeat International.
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Somehow in our fall from grace, we were distorted to become creatures to suck life in, like this vacuum cleaner. Our natural, fallen selves are wired to take from the world, to seek good things for ourselves and possess them, to suck in all that our hearts long for.
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My wife had put up with me for many years before I took her to Spain recently on our 50th wedding anniversary. Seville is an amazing town founded by the Phoenicians, developed by the Carthaginians and conquered by the Romans as a sea port in southern Spain before the river connecting it to the ocean silted out.
Read MoreCity of Hope is a rapidly growing Christian ministry that is lifting a rural Tanzanian community out of poverty. To build upon the momentum in Tanzania, COH is adding a new CEO position to the U.S. staff team. The CEO must be a dynamic leader, responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of the United States part of the organization. Other key duties include fundraising, marketing, and building a community of supporters. The position reports directly to the Board of Directors.
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Letter to the Editor of CHEST (American College of Chest Physicians) opposing physician-assisted suicide in response to article by Attorney Kathryn Tucker’s article pushing physicians to help patients dye.
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