Euthanasia! your opinions needed please

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Euthanasia/assisted suicide

    • 13
      Are you against it?
    • 59
      Are you for it?
    • 4
      Or are you undecided?

76 members have participated

Hi there I am a 3rd year nursing student. Our class at university have been asked to compile a debate for and against euthanasia/assisted suicide, our class has been divided into two groups and I have been placed in the group for. I have been appointed as one of the main speakers to argue our case and this is where I ask for your help. I would be very grateful if anyone can post their opinions on this matter and their reasons why? It can be for or against but because I am on the for team I would love to see if anyone agrees with it. I personally agree with some aspects of it but I am on the fence due to it being such a sensitive issue. The results from this post will be used in the debate but just the numbers of people not details etc... So opinions are very welcome thank you for reading, much appreciated.

Specializes in Behavioral Health.

How persuasive are opinions to you? I mean, a lot of people seem to like Donald Trump, but that's not very convincing to me. If the "against" side has specific concerns then the way to win an argument is to address those concerns. For instance, Washington and Oregon both have death with dignity laws that allow patients, under specific circumstances, to take their own lives. How have those states addressed the concerns of the "against" crowd? How many people have utilized services under this law, and why haven't more people done it?

I mean, I'm all for it in the case of terminal illness, loss of quality of life with little or no hope of recovery, etc. But no one is going to care if you say, "37 people on the internet think it's a good idea." You have to tell them why​ it's a good idea.

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Yes my group and myself are compiling literature that will form the basis of our argument and yes it will be factual and relevant. This is to get a feel for opinions on the matter because at the end of the day opinions do make a difference. The majority of votes in relation to euthanasia were I am from have been against it and it is all medical staff. The idea of this poll was to get other people's opinion on it. There are 5.2 million people in my country (Scotland) and only just over 500 have had input into this. But what about all the rest of the health work force. The aim of this is to get opinions only. It will only form a small part of the debate the remaining 95% will be factual and relevant.

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We do plan to do that as well as try and guess their points for against. Opinions don't influence me much I like to make my own mind up but I still think reading people's views are interesting. I am from Scotland and it is illegal in our country but none the less it is a topic that comes up now and again and who knows maybe in the future things will change.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

This is a topic that comes up every so often here at AN. While waiting for responses to your thread, here's a list of others that you can browse through.

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First of all, I am against euthanasia. I was a Hospice nurse for over 25 years and believe death from a terminal illness doesn't have to be a "horrible" experience. I wouldn't wish it on any one, but with today's medications, alternative treatments, symptoms can be controlled. I have seen situations ( too many to count) of families coming together, relationships healed, love being shown that to cut the process short is a great injustice. Every second counts.

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Well, make sure you've got your terms right at least. There is a difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. The situation described above wherein a man was prescribed a lethal combination of medication and took it himself is assisted suicide. The man administered the medication himself. Euthanasia would be a situation in which a doctor (or other professional, I guess) administers the medication. There are very significant differences, ethical and otherwise, between the two. Is your debate about assisted suicide or euthanasia?

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Another thread on the topic of euthanasia is really not necessary. There is a fairly recent, very painful thread you really should have searched for.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Another thread on the topic of euthanasia is really not necessary. There is a fairly recent, very painful thread you really should have searched for.

I linked to several other posts on OP's other thread on this subject.

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First of all, I am against euthanasia. I was a Hospice nurse for over 25 years and believe death from a terminal illness doesn't have to be a "horrible" experience. I wouldn't wish it on any one, but with today's medications, alternative treatments, symptoms can be controlled. I have seen situations ( too many to count) of families coming together, relationships healed, love being shown that to cut the process short is a great injustice. Every second counts.

I'm not sure how I feel. It's something I think about.

Your post is very hopeful. Thank you!

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A few thoughts... allowing someone to die is not the same thing as killing them.

When the argument of "usefulness" or "quality of life" enter the conversation, the question "by what or whose standards needs to be asked". Those are dangerous questions because if the person in question can't answer for some reason, does someone else get to say if they live or die? We'll never know if Terry Schivo wanted to live or not. She died because someone else said she wanted to.

Finally, what happens when the right to die becomes the duty to die? When people are shamed into ending their life? Or worse, when they're not even asked? It has happened in the Netherlands, ironically, where, in the 1930's and 40's a group of people tried the same thing.

Pain management today is such that no patient need suffer from a terminal disease. Eliminate the suffering, not the sufferer.

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Specializes in Hospice & Palliative Care.

I think we need to make the distinction; it is NOT euthanasia. That would involve the physician administering something to cause death. The laws in this country support the patient being certified by two physicians with a life limiting illness, but they must take the medication themselves, have a psychiatric evaluation, and a waiting period.

Personally, I do not support this. I believe that hospice and palliative care will make the person's life more comfortable and help them make a transition that involves their families and loved ones so they can die without pain or other distressing symptoms. That being said, it is now a law in California, that will be in effect by the end of 2016. I would not judge someone for making the choice, but I don't want to be part of that process should they make that decision.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Let me clarify my views...I am opposed to euthanasia, but a very fervent supporter of assisted suicide.

The difference between the two interventions is choice: in euthanasia, the healthcare provider chooses to end one's misery, whereas assisted suicide entails acting upon the patient's informed choice to end his/her own life.

Healthcare providers are ultimately going to render value judgments about peoples' lives when they choose whom and whom not to euthanize. However, assisted suicide places the end-of-life decision in the hands of the patient.

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