I think one of the cruelest things we do is let patients lay in nursing home beds without the legal ability to terminate their own lives. I'd be interest in what other nurses think of this.
If you ask active people who are in their 40s and alert and you say to them "when you get older and you lose the capacity to know your surroundings and you no longer recognize your family members, and if you reach a point where someone has to change your brief in a bed or feed you your meals, would you prefer to live your life like that or would you prefer someone terminate your life painlessly and peacefully?"
What do you think most people's response would be???
Mine would be termination of my life! But guess what that is against the law in most states.
I'd be interested in knowing what other nurses think about this. We get trained over and over again about abuse. Well to me, the biggest abuse we commit is we do not allow Voluntary Euthanasia over laying in a soiled brief in a nursing home bed where we can't even feed ourselves anymore. Voluntary Euthanasia is illegal in all states and PAD is allowed only in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Vermont.
Aren't many of those ICU patients, who are being tortured against their wills unable to communicate their needs or wants which is why the family is able to make decisions for futile care? A competent patient CAN opt to forego curative or life prolonging treatments and seek palliation of symptoms only.
Sadly the families don't have to do what the patient wishes. I've personally seen a pt extubated, he told his wife he wished to be a DNR/DNI because he couldn't deal with the pain and was terminal. She agreed. Then as soon as he lost consciousness she had him intubated because she didn't want to lose him. Next of kin can overwrite your wishes, it's a horrible horrible thing to see.
Yes, we likely all have seen family members disregard what is known to be a patient's wishes for EOL care.
However, in those cases the patient is no longer competent to make a choice for "voluntary euthanasia" and so it is a moot point, right?
No because in the case of euthanasia they would be able to make their wishes known and have them carried out before they get to the point where they would be unable to make the decision for themselves. That's pretty much the whole point. They want to go out on their own terms before they become incapacitated.
Agree that the next generation should not have to pay.
That cost is a huge burden on the next generation. I learned in nursing school ( a few centuries ago).. that more money is spent prolonging the last 3 months of life ... than is spent on improving health care during the first year of life. We are talking billions spent on the wrong spectrum of life.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I am a huge believer in euthanasia. If a pt is of sound mind and doesn't want to live their life in what they consider suffering, then they should be able to die with dignity. I've seen too many pts tortured to death in the ICU against their wills because the family can't let go. And yes it's the same family that can't be bothered to visit the family member either. In the US people are so afraid of dying and I just don't get it. There are worse things than dying, and keeping someone who is terminal alive against their will is one of them.
I think with proper steps to guard against abuse if the system, it should be legal in all 50 states.
And are you willing to actually euthanize someone?
And are you willing to actually euthanize someone?
Absolutely without a second of hesitation. In my short time in nursing I've withdrawn care on more people than I can count, always knowing it what was they and their family wanted. The chance to be there, talk with them and know they are beyond a doubt in their right mind making this decision, I would be honored to help them.
If we stopped using sanitized vocabulary, fewer people would say yes.
The question is, are you willing to kill someone?
Yes, without a moments hesitation. We do it all the time in the ER or ICU when we withdraw care. I have no qualms about helping kill a rational person with a terminal diagnosis who have passed all the requirements required by law.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
I don't believe that withdrawing care is the same as killing someone. It is simply allowing whatever is already killing them to do so without interference.
Killing someone is giving them Versed, Morphine, and K+ at the same time.
SionainnRN
914 Posts
Sadly the families don't have to do what the patient wishes. I've personally seen a pt extubated, he told his wife he wished to be a DNR/DNI because he couldn't deal with the pain and was terminal. She agreed. Then as soon as he lost consciousness she had him intubated because she didn't want to lose him. Next of kin can overwrite your wishes, it's a horrible horrible thing to see.