Join us in calling on the AMA Board of Trustees to support an immediate ceasefire!

CONTEXT: Since October 7th, the world has witnessed a staggering loss of life. The Israeli government’s bombardment of Gaza has led to more than 20,000 civilian casualties in the course of 68 days. Two-thirds of those killed are women and children, with countless others lost amongst the rubble. The proportion of civilians killed is higher than that of any previous conflict in modern history, including both WWI and WWII. Hospitals, healthcare facilities, and civilian-safe zones have been targeted, resulting in the deaths of patients, healthcare workers, and refugees. As we continue to witness a historic loss of civilian life, we call upon our medical institutions to join the conscious world in calling for an immediate ceasefire.

An action item in AMA terms, is an urgent formal request submitted to leadership in the interim time between formal voting sessions, calling for the release of an official statement or other action (see our asks below) by the Board of Trustees. AMA official policy allows any section under their umbrella to participate in conversations as long as relevant internal policy exists. In early November, resolution 610 passed as internal policy within the Medical Student Section (MSS) and Resident & Fellows Section (RFS), but was unfortunately dismissed without discussion at the House of Delegates meeting in early November. This call to action represents the voices of countless members of the medical community once again calling upon AMA leadership to take action. 

Our plan is simple:

1. Submitted official requests for every committee under the MSS to support our call to action. 

2. Submitted official request for RFS to support our call to action.

3. Submit a letter of support from individuals and organizations in healthcare. THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN: Sign onto this petition to show your support for our call to action or If you represent an organization, please additionally sign here: :Organization Sign-On

The AMA released a statement on 11/9/2023 calling for the following:

(1) implore all parties at all times to limit civilian casualties, and the threat of persecution towards physicians (2) support the efforts of physicians around the world to practice medicine ethically in any and all circumstances, including during wartime, episodes of civil strife, or sanctions and condemn the military targeting of health care facilities and personnel and using denial of medical services as a weapon of war, by any party, wherever and whenever it occurs, and (3) advocate for the protection of physicians’ rights to provide ethical care without fear of persecution.

As we have seen over the past weeks, none of the above have been respected. We urge the AMA to take a stance and call for a ceasefire in order to realistically maintain the above asks.  

Here are our basic requests for the AMA as laid out in our call to action (see full document below): 

1.We urge our American Medical Association (AMA) to join the conscious world and align themselves with countless organizations  worldwide in urging Congress members to advocate for the following measures: an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the restoration of essential resources such as food, water, electricity, and medical supplies, and a commitment to upholding international law.

2. We urge the American Medical Association to uphold this culture of generosity and extend support to hospitals and healthcare facilities in Gaza by all appropriate means; this may include direct donations or by endorsing initiatives such as medical supply drives aimed at replenishing healthcare facilities in the region.

 

RELEVANT LINKS:

LINK TO COMPLETE CALL TO ACTION HERE.​

LINK TO RESOLUTION 610, passed by MSS and RFS HERE. 

*The views above are those of individuals passionate about human rights and welfare and are not directly or officially associated with any AMA section, or other institution or organization. This petition was created by medical students but does not represent the views of all medical students in the AMA-MSS.