The Right to Die with Dignity- MD assisted suicide

Nurses Activism

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  1. Physician-assisted suicide is...

    • 16
      Allowable for the competent terminally ill.
    • 12
      Allowable for all competent people.
    • 40
      Allowable for all terminally ill and vegetative (decision can be made by family or patient if the patient is competent).
    • 11
      Never allowable.
    • 4
      Not Sure.

50 members have participated

With the recent ruling in New Mexico to allow physician assisted suicide for the mentally competent terminally ill, it made me wonder current views on physician assisted suicide. I found a topic on this from 2007, but a lot changes in 7 years.

I personally believe that every person has the fundamental right to choose if they want to die. As a nurse I would refuse to administer the medication but that is because I don't want to be responsible. As a future NP I would also refuse to prescribe it (for one because I think that's way out of an NP's scope) because I would not want the moral liability.

As far as suicide being a sin: What is a "sin" is determined by each individual person, and is between them and G-d. No one should be forced to suffer.

I wish there was a way to make it available to the incompetent also, patients who are in a persistent vegetative state or severely debilitated... I think PAS is much more humane than pulling someone's G-Tube and letting them starve to death... But that's just me.

What do you think?

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
What position are you curious of?

THIS one:

I've got to say that in pretty surprised by how many people agree that PAS should be available to anyone. I was expecting like 40% never allowable and 40% terminally ill with like 10% undecided. Very interesting.

Like I stated before, I am curious as to why were you surprised that more people were acceptable with PAS, especially with hospice being an option, as most people have at least known someone or experienced end of life with someone. Again, why are you surprised at the poll results?

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Specializes in Case Management, ICU, Telemetry.

Oh, I was thinking that's what you were referring to but wasn't sure. Because we had talked about it during class one time and about half of the class was completely against it. Also, there is another thread from 2007 and it seemed like a lot more people were against it than there are now.

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I understand both sides here. Since I've been working Oncology, I've worked with patients that wanted to just go. I've also had patients that suddenly passed after being discharged, because they took their own actions. I understand that many people have an issue with it being "their responsibility". I believe whole-heartedly that if someone, terminally ill, wants to end their life, rather than suffer for an indefinite amount of time, they should have that right. Now, to eliminate the guilt of putting it into action, it would be nice if that patient could hit a button, similar to that on a PCA pump and go in that manner. You still have a subscriber and someone that hooks the medication up, but the patient is hitting the button.

Either way, I believe everyone would change their mind when it becomes their time to lie and suffer. We've all seen the suffering, but very few have experienced it. I believe there would need to be lots of documentation and multiple MD's signing off on each case possibly, but I have no issues with it.

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Specializes in Case Management, ICU, Telemetry.

I definitely agree. Putting yourself in their shoes- you would want the option. Most of us cannot even comprehend the degree of suffering that some of these people endure.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

I'm curious as to why the OP thinks assisted suicide is OK for a physician but outside the scope of practice for a NP? In my state FNPs and MDs have the exact same scope of practice, so I find that statement silly. I have no problem with PAS and if it were legal here and I had patients that asked/met criteria, I would help them. That is my job.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

The only part of the poll result that I find surprising is that there are still people who would deny anyone the right to end their own life when they see fit. It is their own business and it doesn't matter what the reasons are, terminal illness, running out of money, 90 years old, lonely and just plain tired-whatever. It is their life to do with whatever they choose. Who are we to make them live another day if they don't want to? There really are people that don't have anything left to live for, let them end it. It really isn't that big a tragedy you know. The part I object to is when selfish people commit suicide and leave a body in horrid condition for someone else to happen upon in surprise. That is inexcusable. They need to make arrangements in advance so that doesn't happen, which is one reason why an organized, well planned, assisted suicide is the best approach. Say goodbye, get your things in order and make sure the necessities are addressed. One can die with dignity and show a modicum of respect for others at the same time. Leaving behind a maggot infested corpse for your kids to find when you don't answer the phone for two weeks, or for the neighbors to sniff out, is just plain rude.

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Specializes in Case Management, ICU, Telemetry.

Dr. Devil

Thank you for saying this. I completely agree, which is why I included "allowable for anyone" in the poll. Everyone should have access to PAS. If a person believes that their life is no longer worth living, who are we to force them to live it or resort to messy means of suicide? Good Post.

As for "why I consider it outside NP scope".... I have been told that it is not recommended for NPs in the state of Arizona to prescribe invasive procedures without first referring to an MD. Chemotherapy for instance. But really, to put a patient on Chemo, they would probably see an Oncologist so there's your MD referral. I consider PAS to be invasive and would refer to a Palliative Care MD (or NP) for that matter. As much as I 100% agree with PAS, I would not want the liability of prescribing it.

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I wish all 50 states allowed PAS. Like all "values" or "morals" if you don't agree with this you don't have to participate. If I was terminal with a horrific and terrifying death in my near future I would want the option of PAS. I would want the same for my loved ones. Patients should be allowed to die with dignity and without fear.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, OR, Peds, Patient Education.
There are plenty of MD's who think that writing a prescription for a lethal of bartiturates is part of their role.

I agree. Thank goodness, there are physicians who will still perform abortions. One in three women will have an abortion at some time in her life, and I hope that abortion will be done safely. As a retired RN I saw the results of unsafe abortions in the pre Roe days. Younger people do not realize that poor women and even middle class women died due to DIY abortions or abortions done by someone unskilled.

Would I assist at an abortion? Yes, I would and I have done so for medically necessary abortions. How many of these were really "medically necessary?" I do not know, but I do know that wealthy women, who had the money could "jump through the hoops" necessary to obtain such a diagnosis back before this procedure was legal. These were the days before suction abortion and RU486, which are office procedures, so the procedure was carried out in an OR.

I hope that PAS will soon be legal in all states, as death with dignity is a right that many people, including myself, would wish for themselves. Death is inevitable and should be as painless as possible.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

I find the statistic 1 in 3 to be too large a fraction. I'm old..almost 70 and nurses a long time. Source, please.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, OR, Peds, Patient Education.
I find the statistic 1 in 3 to be too large a fraction. I'm old..almost 70 and nurses a long time. Source, please.

Go to Google, and read from William Robert Johnson, or other sources, that are listed. The stats are there. Now, there is a anti choice site that denies the facts. However, in 2008 40% of women age 40-55 had at least one abortion in her life. There are graphs that indicate that from 15 to 50 are the years that a woman is most likely to have had an abortion. She may or may not feel that she can admit this, as abortion is still vilified.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

William Robert Johnson? The Catholic bishop? Is there another one who is a statistician? These studies are worth nothing because nobody asked ME if I ever had an abortion?! How do these researchers pick their samples? This kind of research is fraught with unreliability, IMHO.

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