Euthanasia. Murder or Mercy?

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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?

Please Let Me Know! I Want To Know!

Specializes in hospice.

The intentional, directly intended taking of human life, when not done in self defense, is wrong. Period. All human lives, even those society deems worthless.

What's selfish is a family who would get upset that the dying person isn't lucid enough for them, so wants them to have less pain medication.

Amen to this! Dying with dignity is NOT a selfish choice. Wanting your family member to be in excruciating pain so YOU can have moments with them "lucid" is cruel. And if your family member is in horrible pain and suffering greatly, how lucid are they anyway?

Specializes in critical care.
The intentional, directly intended taking of human life, when not done in self defense, is wrong. Period. All human lives, even those society deems worthless.

Even if the person, completely alert and oriented, wants it?

(Genuinely curious - you and I usually agree on stuff, so I'm surprised to see we differ on this on and I'm curious about your thoughts.)

Specializes in hospice.
What's selfish is a family who would get upset that the dying person isn't lucid enough for them, so wants them to have less pain medication.

We see this in hospice all the time. It's disgusting. I've already told my husband that if I go first and he acts that way, I will come back and haunt his ass.

Specializes in hospice.
Even if the person, completely alert and oriented, wants it?

(Genuinely curious - you and I usually agree on stuff, so I'm surprised to see we differ on this on and I'm curious about your thoughts.)

It's 100% related to me being Catholic. Human lives are not ours to take, not even our own. Obviously I believe in palliative care. I disagree that dying naturally lacks dignity. Euthanasia and assisted suicide advocates call their cause "death with dignity" and that really pisses me off. Hospice is all about respecting dignity and preserving it as well as possible for our patients. I think the attitude of prettying up suicide and murder with terminology like dignity both comes from a utilitarian view of human life and is used as a marketing strategy. Who doesn't want dignity? Just don't peep under that he surface at all those ethical issues.....

I saw an article recently that articulated my thoughts really well. I'll find it and post it.

I'm fine with calling it suicide and dying before the body deteriorates into an ischemic dehydrared shell.

My body isn't catholic so I don't have any conflict there.

Specializes in Ortho, CMSRN.

I'm fine with pain medication for a dying patient. And yes, I'm new at this... I've only had one dying patient who I administered pain medication at her families wishes to knowing full well that she could stop breathing, but it would take away the pain. She was unable to talk, but she moaned. I had no problems helping to ease pain. Really, I'm not cruel. I could just never be a hospice nurse. That is a kind of stress that I think takes a special kind of personal maturity that I do not believe I have reached yet. As far as administering medication with the intent to take a life away, even if that is what the person wishes... no, I could not do that. Relieve pain: yes. Take a life: no.

We see this in hospice all the time. It's disgusting. I've already told my husband that if I go first and he acts that way, I will come back and haunt his ass.

I've also threatened my husband with this if he chooses to resuscitate me when its futile.

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

There's nothing dignified about being incontinent, developing bed sores (which can happen regardless of how dedicated staff are to prevention), becoming confused and disoriented due to end-stage disease, severe pain that can't be relieved regardless of med regimens, etc.

I was a certified hospice nurse for several years. Hospice can do a lot of good, but it's not perfect, and even in hospice people sometimes suffer before they die.

We need to abide by what is legal, not impose our personal/religious beliefs on patients.

Specializes in critical care.
It's 100% related to me being Catholic. Human lives are not ours to take, not even our own. Obviously I believe in palliative care. I disagree that dying naturally lacks dignity. Euthanasia and assisted suicide advocates call their cause "death with dignity" and that really pisses me off. Hospice is all about respecting dignity and preserving it as well as possible for our patients. I think the attitude of prettying up suicide and murder with terminology like dignity both comes from a utilitarian view of human life and is used as a marketing strategy. Who doesn't want dignity? Just don't peep under that he surface at all those ethical issues.....

I saw an article recently that articulated my thoughts really well. I'll find it and post it.

Thank you for sharing that. I understand your point of view, but disagree. For me, I feel if a person wants it, it should be their right. I can't impose my own ideas of morality on someone else. I'm one of those who believes in death with dignity.

I had a patient who developed this raging infection that just moved from place to place. It started with oral herpes and generalized cellulitis on his lower extremities (usually seen on larger individuals, but this man was rather small), turned into osteomyelitis, then the antibiotics gave him a resistant case of cdiff. His immune system was compromised by certain exposures in the military.

The last time I saw him, he had no legs and a large enough portion of his intestines removed that he had a colostomy. By the smell and look of the contents of it, I will tell you with great certainty that he has likely lost even more of his intestines since then. Infection had spread to the lower part of his spine. He lost feeling from his iliac crest down bilaterally. His albumin plummeted and he was third spacing absolutely everywhere. Completely alert and oriented, in pain that large volumes of medication wouldn't touch, losing piece after piece of his body, and no hope for recovery. Ever.

His family and friends were helpless to do anything. To be honest, so were we. It was tragic. He wanted "out". He knew he was approaching the end, and wished something, anything, would be the final release. I can't imagine for a second how that torture felt. For those of us who are advocates of death with dignity, I think we see people like this, and we believe that anything must be better than some of the deaths, or declines in health that we have witnessed. This thought process is independent of a religious set of values, though. At least, for me it is. I can see how religion complicates this, or changes the directions of black and white.

Specializes in hospice.

http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2015/02/hospice-defend-yourself

My moral limitations apply to me and my practice. I will politically advocate against laws with which I disagree, in full understanding that my side may lose.

Specializes in critical care.
Hospice, Defend Yourself! | Wesley J. Smith | SITE_NAME

My moral limitations apply to me and my practice. I will politically advocate against laws with which I disagree, in full understanding that my side may lose.

That article does raise very good points - hospice is not discussed, understood or used adequately. I would advocate for a person to seek ways to improve quality of life, like having hospice on board. My hospital is pretty terrific at recognizing those who could benefit from hospice and palliative care.

The article misses something huge - it says that people shouldn't have to choose between hospice and continuing life sustaining treatments. Palliative care has emerged as a specialty to fill this gap. Palliative care has recently begun to be reimbursed, as well. It's that middle road where treatment is continued and comfort is promoted.

Don't get me wrong - promoting suicide wouldn't be my first stop with a patient. I love getting palliative care and hospice referrals for patients, especially knowing how compassionate and skilled our palliative care and hospice team are. But then what, when that doesn't help the patient anymore? For many people (most, even), hospice and palliative care are perfect up to their final breath. For some, though, they'll fall short.

What makes me really sad is we have a local hospital that uses hospice rarely, and on occasion will discharge to hospice knowing the patient is in their final hours and the hospital doesn't want the death to be reflected in their statistics. THAT sickens me.

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