Physician assisted suicide

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 4, 2005

I worked in LTC off and on throughout my career.

I am strongly against euthanasia, period. My reasons are spiritual. I believe that life is a gift and it is not for us to decide when it ends. I believe that every moment of life is a learning experience for one's soul and that includes the experience of illness and dying. That includes animals. However, I do believe in providing compassionate care for anyone or any animal that is dying or in pain.

texas_lvn · Oct 4, 2005

I worked in LTC off and on throughout my career.
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it. Texas

Nikki69 · Oct 4, 2005

I think that if I were suffering, and there was no way out, and I had assisted suicide as a choice, I would take it. It saddens me that Doctor Kavorkian is imprisoned for helping to carry out those peoples wishes. Sometimes pain and suffering is just too much for some people to keep on with-even if you are the most religious person. Just as long as it is theirselves that they are killing, and not someone against their will (such as abortion, etc.).

zambezi, BSN, RN · Oct 4, 2005

Oegon has the Death with Dignity Act

It is constantly in the news as people are usually trying to overturn the law...Here are some pertinant websites.

http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/index.shtml

http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/faqs.shtml

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43847-2005Feb22.html

http://www.euth_us1.htmdeathwithdignity.org/

http://www.religioustolerance.org/

http://www.internationaltaskforce.org/sptlt2.htm

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 4, 2005

IT is not up to me to determine when someone's life should end.

texas_lvn · Oct 5, 2005

Thank you for your responses. They are all within what I need for my analysis. Keep em coming. Thank you for the information for the info regarding Oregon. There were websites I had not seen yet. Thanks Texas

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Oct 5, 2005

I worked in LTC off and on throughout my career.
I am strongly against euthanasia, period. My reasons are spiritual. I believe that life is a gift and it is not for us to decide when it ends. I believe that every moment of life is a learning experience for one's soul and that includes the experience of illness and dying. That includes animals. However, I do believe in providing compassionate care for anyone or any animal that is dying or in pain.

Ditto to this!

renerian, BSN, RN · Oct 5, 2005

I hope if I am ever faced for making this choice about me, not someone else, I would have the right to choose.

renerian

texas_lvn · Oct 5, 2005

what a scope of opinions/feelings. This is great info for my essay. Keep em coming. Thank you. Texas

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 5, 2005

I worked inpt hospice for several years. I own this awesome book, which has studies that show that suicide and euthanasia rates and pt's requesting such go way down when quality hospice care is available and utilized. Great book!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/089603237X/qid=1128544208/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5005051-3286243?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

req_read · Oct 7, 2005

Dying process is purposeful and valuable. It is a learning process that is largely resolutional in nature. In other words, it helps prepare us for the next phase of life. Going into the next phase of life unprepared; i.e. without resolving one's life tasks, is not smart. Then again, you cannot force people to be or act smart.

Inevitably, a certain percentage of humans do such a poor job of living their lives that resolving their unresolved issues is likely to be a very tall order and fraught with difficulty. It is rather like going all through school and then as the time for final exams approaches, concluding, "Well, I really haven't studied much and taking exams makes me anxious anyway so I think I'll just drop out." It's sort of a cheap, second-rate way of dealing with things... and not likely to yield optimal results in the long run. In other words, if you cannot cope with life in this phase, what makes you think you will do well in the next?

All of which assumes death does not end life... which gets into one's religious background and perspectives. All things being equal however, we can evaluate, in a general way, whether an expectation of continued life yields better results than an expectation that death ends life. In other words, do people who expect life to continue die better (die more gracefully, less panic, more consciously, etc.) than those who do not? My observations have shown that the answer to that question is a definite, 'Yes.'

Then again, should we pass a law that, in effect, forces people to take final exams? That is still a tricky question... then again, it is even trickier given the rather profound lack of public understanding of the purpose and value of dying process. Education would undoubtedly accomplish more in terms of actually curing the problem than passing a law in the absence of understanding.