The American College of Physicians called for better promotion of palliative and hospice care, which opponents of physician-assisted suicide say are underutilized areas of medicine that could address concerns of patients facing difficult illnesses.

Belgian religious order defies orders from Rome, setting up a confrontation over doctrine.

The decision is being hailed as a significant victory by the New York State Catholic Conference.

The order follows repeated requests for the group to drop its new policy of permitting doctors to perform the euthanasia of "nonterminal" mentally ill patients on its premises.

The day before the vote, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan sent a letter to members of the committee urging them to "nullify the D.C. City Council's deceptively named 'Death with Dignity Act' that legalizes the dangerous and unethical practice of doctor-assisted suicide."