Running head: NURSING 1
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Date
, NURSING 2
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Euthanasia is a medical practice that entails ending a patient's life to relieve them from
the continuous suffering brought about by their medical condition. The health condition could be
a terminal illness or great pain that prescribed pain relievers could not manage during the
treatment process (Keown, 2018). On the other hand, assisted suicide refers to a nurse's
involvement in facilitating a patient's death by ensuring that the necessary means and
information is provided to the patient to perform the life-ending act. Both practices are also
referred to as patient assisted death (PAD) which has sparked a lot of debate regarding the legal
and ethical aspects. Therefore, this essay highlights my position on euthanasia and assisted
suicide and nurses' legal and ethical responsibilities.
Regarding the legal issues, there are states in America that support euthanasia and
assisted living, and there are those against it. It is important to note that even though states such
as Washington D.C, New Mexico, Colorado, and California have legalized euthanasia and
assisted living, specific rules should determine whether nurses should practice it on their
patients. One of the rules that nurses should be aware of is that the patient's suffering is
unbearable to the extent that no amount of medication could alleviate the suffering (Emina,
2021). The other rule is that the patient's condition could be terminal, or the patient is requesting
the death due to an unbearable terminal health condition. On the other hand, there are also ethical
issues that are associated with euthanasia and assisted living. One of them is autonomy, where
nurses respect the patient's decision and request for euthanasia even though it may not be what
the nurse would suggest, thus bringing about the nurse's integrity. The other ethical issue is
justice, where the patient's interest is respected, and it would be termed unjust to refuse the
patient's request for euthanasia and assisted living. The Hippocratic oath nurses take falls under
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Date
, NURSING 2
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Euthanasia is a medical practice that entails ending a patient's life to relieve them from
the continuous suffering brought about by their medical condition. The health condition could be
a terminal illness or great pain that prescribed pain relievers could not manage during the
treatment process (Keown, 2018). On the other hand, assisted suicide refers to a nurse's
involvement in facilitating a patient's death by ensuring that the necessary means and
information is provided to the patient to perform the life-ending act. Both practices are also
referred to as patient assisted death (PAD) which has sparked a lot of debate regarding the legal
and ethical aspects. Therefore, this essay highlights my position on euthanasia and assisted
suicide and nurses' legal and ethical responsibilities.
Regarding the legal issues, there are states in America that support euthanasia and
assisted living, and there are those against it. It is important to note that even though states such
as Washington D.C, New Mexico, Colorado, and California have legalized euthanasia and
assisted living, specific rules should determine whether nurses should practice it on their
patients. One of the rules that nurses should be aware of is that the patient's suffering is
unbearable to the extent that no amount of medication could alleviate the suffering (Emina,
2021). The other rule is that the patient's condition could be terminal, or the patient is requesting
the death due to an unbearable terminal health condition. On the other hand, there are also ethical
issues that are associated with euthanasia and assisted living. One of them is autonomy, where
nurses respect the patient's decision and request for euthanasia even though it may not be what
the nurse would suggest, thus bringing about the nurse's integrity. The other ethical issue is
justice, where the patient's interest is respected, and it would be termed unjust to refuse the
patient's request for euthanasia and assisted living. The Hippocratic oath nurses take falls under
