The Right to die.

As long as no doctor, nurse or other provider is held liable for not assisting as well, as well as prohibiting any person other than the patient from making the decision, then I say right on! It puts the decision back in the hands of the person doing the dying and whatever deity she/he worships, where it belongs.

While I agree that this is a right patients should have, I also want an out for HCPs who, for whatever reason, don't want to be the one to give them that KCl (or whatever). If a patient decides they want to die, they should be allowed to but it should be something they administer themselves. I couldn't be the one to give someone that dose. If they draw it up and inject it, that's one thing. But I couldn't do it.

I fully support the autonomy of the individual to make this choice but I could not be an active participant. To me life is just too precious to be involved in the willful ending.

If you have ever worked in an ICU, you may have done it already. I work in adult ICU, and I have been the one to withdraw the life support (with the doctor and family permission, of course). If they are alone, I talk to them and try to comfort their passing. If you believe in something "on the other side", it gives you strength to do it. But it is a different story when it is not a clear line. I don't know if I could do it to someone I think has viability. But to tell someone how to live their life isn't right. And I agree, no one should be forced to do this if they are not comfortable with it.

Withdrawing life support and actively killing someone are different things - although Rebel Yell is right . . .sometimes that line is not clear depending on wear you work.

I don't believe in making it legal to actively assist someone in killing themselves.

steph

Um . . no . . because that is murder.

Actively taking someone's life is murder.

Look it up.

(Gotta go to work or I'd chat more . . . . ) steph

So then, we agree that capital punishment is murder? Forgive me for taking this in a different direction than perhaps was intended...but I had to ask.

On the original topic, I'm with those who think it's an individual's right to die on their own terms but I wouldn't want to be an accessory thereto.

I have seen many people choose death. They have stopped eating, taking necessary meds, refused fluids. We continue to care for them and treat the symptoms of impending death. Usually this is with narc. meds that decrease resp. and B/P. We all know that this does not prolong life. We, working with patient, family, and HCP make decisions that will potentially decease life span. We learn a language that does not say we kill. It says we help to provide comfort during the dying process. We have no way of knowing how much our actions have hastened death.

I am comfortable with this level of supporting the right to die. As a nurse I cannot give a lethal dose of meds. I can give meds that might decrease length of dying process.

Capital punishment is murder in my mind. That is a totally different thread, I think.