Euthanasia is a very touchy subject, especially within the medical field. As a healthcare advocate, it is our job as professionals to better the lives of our patients. What happens when there is nothing more you can do?
I understand, being a Home Health Aide that works a lot with Hospice, that comfort care is important. But truly, when a suffering patient looks to you to ease the pain what do you do? Should you apologize and say their is nothing more I can do?
I can hardly say no more treats to my cat when he gives puppy dog eyes, much less a patient dying alone of cancer. In my opinion, for what it is worth, Euthanasia is most certainly not murder and should never be referred to as such.
If Euthanasia was legal, but very strict in regulations and rules, it would be very beneficial to many terminally ill patients. This may be the only healthcare decision a patient makes within their life, and they should be allowed to make such a decision when conditions permit. We all have choices in this world, what gives you or I the right to take such choices away from someone in such a situation.
What is your opinion? Do you agree or disagree? Do you have a story, personal or not that pertains to this topic?
Well, that's where we are in disagreement and that's the purpose of this thread. It started with a poll after all.
Pushing an IV med into the bloodstream of a person that will almost immediately stop a heart from beating is killing the person. Some folks consider that murder and some don't. Obviously.
I do think hospice and palliative care is directly related to this issue.
The argument I see in these threads for euthanasia and assisted suicide is that we shouldn't let people suffer. Emotionally or physically. Our team consists not just of nurses but doctors, pharmacists, home health aides, social workers, chaplains just to name a few. We can address pretty much all the needs of the patient.
I've mentioned that we need to do a better job of "marketing" hospice and palliative care starting in medical school and nursing school and while we are at it, social worker school.
The two articles in the beginning of this thread by Wesley J. Smith and Ira Byock talk about how we need to utilize hospice and palliative care more. Wesley J. Smith brings up that November is Hospice Month but did that get much press play? No.
If the issue is that a person shouldn't have to die in terrible pain or terrible circumstances and hospice and palliative care can alleviate much of that, people would have MORE choices than just . . suffer or have someone take my life.
Why shouldn't there be more options in this issue of dying with dignity?
I firmly believe hospice and palliative care deserve a place at this table.
Hospice and palliative care are extremely valuable and thank god we have those resources.
But i would not deny the rare few who would ask to be pushed along by a willing advocate once they are at the point of immenent death, regardless of suffering?
I can see myself wanting the last hours ended. I know what the last hours often look like. If I and my loved ones shared the same attitude and feelings about it and I had a physician/team who had no problem with assisting with my wishes, why should I be denied?
I do think the idea that someone may be forced to comply with euthanasia is as absurd as forcing someone to perform an abortion or anything else they find immoral. That shouldn't even be on the table in a serious discussion. "Do you think we as nurses should be made to perform euthanasia if we think it's murder?" That's not a real question, is it? I wouldn't waste my energy on out there nonsense and that sure is not what I've been discussing regardless if that was what the original poll was about. I guess I just glanced right over that and went to the realistic question of personal rights.
There are things in life far worse than death.....why as nurses do we allow our patients to suffer? Why do we think this is ok?
We have no problem putting down fluffy the dog but mother need to suffer till God takes her?
Remind the fable about the drowning man that died .....God sent three items to save him....maybe nursing are that rescue ship for that suffering patient.
So you're proposing that God has sent nurses as a rescue ship to deliver fatal drugs to dying patients? Well, tell God to do his own "dirty" work!
It seems once God enters a conversation all logical goes out the window.
Hi All! I didn't get a chance to read all the comments on this thread but wanted to share that I'm almost done reading "Stealth Euthanasia" by Ron Panzer. You can get it free at Hospice Patients Alliance: Patient Advocates. It's excellent. One of the things it mentions is that nurses are trained by for-profit hospice companies to see morphine as "helping patients to breathe" when it actually makes it harder for some to breathe. Everything the nurses are trained to say (about the dying process, about family being in denial if they question what's going on, etc) isn't always appropriate for all cases, but hospice decides it's time & the patient is sedated and basically killed.
I believe this is what's happening will all my heart. Some hospices use stealth euthanasia; I've seen it myself. I also think it's criminal and unethical. I think if the patient wants it, fine. The patients I'm talking about never see it coming. One day they're talking and laughing, the next they're sedated and dead within weeks.
I have no idea how any nurse can partake in this. I'm not talking about compassionate death with dignity situations. I'm talking about the patient being a pain to the staff or family and before you know it, here comes the haldol and morphine.
If if you've never seen it, congratulations. I have and its traumatizing.
Hi All! I didn't get a chance to read all the comments on this thread but wanted to share that I'm almost done reading "Stealth Euthanasia" by Ron Panzer. You can get it free at Hospice Patients Alliance: Patient Advocates. It's excellent. One of the things it mentions is that nurses are trained by for-profit hospice companies to see morphine as "helping patients to breathe" when it actually makes it harder for some to breathe. Everything the nurses are trained to say (about the dying process, about family being in denial if they question what's going on, etc) isn't always appropriate for all cases, but hospice decides it's time & the patient is sedated and basically killed.
I believe this is what's happening will all my heart. Some hospices use stealth euthanasia; I've seen it myself. I also think it's criminal and unethical. I think if the patient wants it, fine. The patients I'm talking about never see it coming. One day they're talking and laughing, the next they're sedated and dead within weeks.
I have no idea how any nurse can partake in this. I'm not talking about compassionate death with dignity situations. I'm talking about the patient being a pain to the staff or family and before you know it, here comes the haldol and morphine.
If if you've never seen it, congratulations. I have and its traumatizing.
Where did you see laughing talking then straight to sedated?
Red Kryptonite
2,212 Posts
We're just told we don't belong in health care and to get out.