Issues |
Physician Assisted SuicidePhysician assisted suicide happens when a patient asks for a lethal dosage of prescription drugs or when asked, a physician injects a lethal drug into the patient. Physician assisted suicide is banned from all states in the US except for Oregon, which has the "Death with Dignity" act which allows physician assisted suicide within certain precautions. Even then, some physicians secretly assisted patients outside of Oregon.
Oregon's Death with Dignity ActOregon's Death with Dignity act, although thought to be used commonly, has been used on rare occasions. The process starts when a consulting physician examines a patients medical records and confirms (in writing) that the patient is suffering from a terminal disease with a death in less than 6 months and and is acting voluntarily, and is capable of making an informed choice and already made one. If the consulting physician thinks the patient is incapable of making an informed choice, or has a disorder that causes impaired judgement, then the patient must be referred, being that no patient is allowed to be given lethal medication of any kind if said patient is incapable of informed judgement. If said patient is capable of informed choices and has made one, the process is allowed to continue. A patient is required to request, either spoken or written down, within 15 days after his/her first request. Even then, the patient is allowed to repeal his/her request and discontinue the process. In order to continue the process, the doctor must tell the patient he/her is allowed to rescind at any time. After the physician gives the patient an opportunity to back away, the prescription must be written within 15 days of said patients first spoken request and two days within written request. The act itself does not allow anyone to end a patient's life via lethal injection, mercy killing, or active euthanasia; nor establish any kind of suicide under the law.
Nursing Ethical Dilemma: Ethical Rights and Responsibilities in EuthanasiaIn view of the nursing role and responsibility to promote quality of life, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide involve an indecent ethical role. Though patients may be in extreme pain, terminal and debilitating illness, nurses are expected to provide comfort, and respond to the end-of-life needs rather than killing the patient. Relieving the patient’s intolerable pain and incurable suffering through the administration of lethal agent is not an assertion of moral and ethical rights and responsibilities of the health care profession (Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 1997).
With incurable conditions and dying patient, nurses have the ethical obligation to provide comfort care, supportive and emotional support, control pain, and assist the patient and the family of the dying process. Nurses should continue to respect human dignity and autonomy. Nurses should encourage communication with other professional disciplines to help the patient and the family through specialty consultation, hospice care, pastoral support, family counseling, and other modalities (Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 1997). "Physicians and nurses do not assume a unique responsibility for the act of ending the patient’s life.” - Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 1997 |