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Euthanasia and Death with Dignity

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Euthanasia and Death with Dignity
Euthanasia is an ethical decision making dilemma that borders on the philosophical and shakes the foundations of nursing beliefs in patient autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence. It is an ugly concept for which many cringe and shy away from. It must be differentiated between the concepts of willfully causing death versus restraint from aggressive medical treatment when such procedures would cause no change in the outcome of the illness. This is sometimes referred to as death with dignity or palliative care, which is the “relief from pain and other distressing symptoms…” and “intends neither to hasten nor postpone death” (World Health Organization, 2011). This is the premise we intend to deconstruct.
Euthantos, Greek for “good death”, translated as euthanasia in modern terms (Zerwekh, 2005), is commonly mistaken as the willful cause of death in persons unable to make decisions such as those with mental illness or defect. In actuality, there are different types of euthanasia; passive euthanasia, the hastening death by an act, or lack thereof, and voluntary/active euthanasia, known as physician assisted suicide. The nursing code of ethics forces us to take no part in actively ending a life, but where is the line drawn in accepting a patients wish to refrain from live saving measurements?
Patients who wish to die with dignity should be afforded the right to determine their course of treatment and practitioners, at the very least, should respect those plans. Accepting a patient’s autonomy is “an agreement to respect the patient's right to determine a course of action” for their care (Potter, 2006, p. 67). On the same token if we accept their action, we must also accept their inaction. Additionally, the ethical code of non-maleficence represents doing no harm, but being ever aware of where and what the harm constitutes.
Death with

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