StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Attitudes of nursing towards euthanasia - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In April 2001, the Netherlands established the world's first law regulating euthanasia (De Beer, et al., 2003). Under this new regulation, a physician may legally administer lethal drugs with the express intent to cause death at the request of a patient over the age of twelve (De Beer, et al…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.6% of users find it useful
Attitudes of nursing towards euthanasia
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Attitudes of nursing towards euthanasia"

Download file to see previous pages

This topic is relevant to many as it addresses the truth that euthanasia is a reality for everyone. The widely publicised case of Terri Shiavo in the U.S. caused many to consider their own end-of-life care, should the time ever come, as well as that of their loved ones. The Shiavo case made discussion even more complex by introducing such concepts as passive versus active euthanasia, omission versus commission, and ordinary versus extraordinary means to prolong a patient's life. Many issues surrounding euthanasia are currently being debated, such as its place in traditional monotheistic religious perspectives, as well as futuristic abuses and discriminatory practises.

Ultimately, the position that many nurses will find themselves in may be one of conflict, as many current laws regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide are unclear about the participation of nurses. Furthermore, religious nurses will find themselves in a position of having to choose between supporting the patient and adhering to their religious beliefs. Eventually, all nurses will be forced to determine definitively what their position on euthanasia is and whether they will be able to support it ideologically as well as physically.

This could possibly mean administering the lethal drugs themselves, which will force many to consider their philosophical position on euthanasia carefully and thoughtfully.Traditional PerspectivesIn 1997, the state of Oregon in the U.S. passed the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, which legalised physician-assisted suicide (Miller, et al. 2004). In a study published by Palliative Medicine in 2004, questionnaires were mailed out to all of the hospice nurses and social workers in Oregon in 2001 regarding their responses to patients who request assisted suicide or discuss assisted suicide as a possible option in end-of-life care.

The researchers received 573 responses and found 306 to be relevant to their study. The researchers asked the nurses and social workers to rate the importance of religion and spirituality in their lives and professions on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being "not at all important," and 10 being "very important." Both groups rated spirituality as being very important (Miller, et al. 2004). But while social workers rated the importance of religion at 5, nurses rated its importance at 6.6 (Miller, et al. 2004). The role of religion thusly acts as an influential factor in the approach that many nurses take towards their profession and, subsequently, towards assisted suicide and potential requests.

Of the respondents questioned, two-thirds reported having discussed assisted suicide with a patient within the previous year (Miller, et al. 2004). 22% reported being uncomfortable with discussing assisted suicide (Miller, et al. 2004). The researchers found that the nurses who rated the importance of religion highly had a less supportive view of assisted suicide, while nurses who rated religion's importance lower demonstrated a more positive attitude towards assisted suicide (Miller, et al. 2004). Of the nurses who responded to the questionnaire, 13% were Catholic, 1% were Jewish, 28% were Protestant, 28% were Christian Other, and 9% were Other non-Christian (Miller, et al. 2004). To understand religious perspectives of euthanasia, we must first define euthanasia.

There are two basic

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Attitudes of nursing towards euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words”, n.d.)
Attitudes of nursing towards euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1501846-attitudes-of-nursing-towards-euthanasia
(Attitudes of Nursing towards Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 Words)
Attitudes of Nursing towards Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 Words. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1501846-attitudes-of-nursing-towards-euthanasia.
“Attitudes of Nursing towards Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1501846-attitudes-of-nursing-towards-euthanasia.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Attitudes of nursing towards euthanasia

Human Euthanasia is Unethical

The author of the "Human euthanasia is Unethical" paper argues that human euthanasia is unethical on all counts.... There are guilt and strain attached to those supposed to perform euthanasia.... hellip; The issue of euthanasia is far from over.... In the world of medicine, the World Medical Association (WMA, 2002) made its point well on euthanasia.... The policy adopted by the 38th WMA Assembly, in Madrid, Spain, October 1987, states:"euthanasia, that is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient, even at the patient's own request or at the request of close relatives, is unethical....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Churchs Teaching On Euthanasia

The paper "The Church's Teaching On euthanasia" tries to discuss the view of the Catholic Church about euthanasia.... In particular, the main content includes discussion of why the Catholic Church is strong in its stand that euthanasia is not about eliminating the pain but rather the patient.... Thus, euthanasia or an act of mercy killing has become one of the most debatable issues in contemporary time because for some it might be the right answer but for others, it is the wrong way around....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment

Nursing Home Residents' Views on Dying and Death

Most individuals within the Dutch public offer positive responses towards euthanasia, considering the realities regarding last-stage care (Rietjens, van der Heide, Onwuteaka-Philipsen, van der Maas & van der Wal, 2006).... Theological perspective considers death appropriate up to the period one dies a natural death, other than utilizing other methods such as euthanasia (Mitchell, Orr & Salladay, 2004).... Individuals within certain countries have positive attitudes towards death considering that they have completed their lifespan, and are often involved in professional dancing that has considerable influence on their end-of-life-care....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Advanced Practice Nursing

“The complexity of nurses' attitudes toward euthanasia: a review of the literature.... “Nurses views on their involvement in euthanasia: a qualitative study in Flanders (Belgium).... “The ethics of euthanasia.... This topic raises many ethical… The most distressing ethical-legal and moral issue based on the three articles under discussion is the abuse of human right of the right to Advanced Practice nursing Affiliation: Choose one end of life or one right to dieethical-legal dilemma that would cause the advanced practice nurse moral distressEuthanasia is the physician assistance of patients to die by ending their life for them (Ebrahimi, 2012)....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

Nurses Attitudes towards Euthanasia

The paper “Nurses' Attitudes towards euthanasia” seeks to evaluate ethical issues in nursing.... This, in turn, leads us to one of the biggest ethical debates that nurses face and that is with respect to the withdrawal of care leading to a patient's death or euthanasia.... In Belgium and the Netherlands, laws declare that euthanasia is legal “under carefully delineated circumstances” and the Belgian euthanasia act defines it as the “administration of lethal drugs at the explicit request of the patient with the explicit intention of shortening the patient's life” (Berghes, Casterle, & Gastmans, 2005)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Good Quality End-of-Life Care Removes the Need for Euthanasia

As apparent, the practice of euthanasia presents a pessimistic moral view to the care-giving obligations when treating On the other hand, the end-of-life practice can be regarded as an optimistic ideology used in medical practices in order to continue caring for patients in their final days/hours, offering them temporary relief from the physical pain.... In the current times, multiple end-of-life treatment processes, such as palliative care and curative care among others are commonly enacted as an alternative step to euthanasia, which faces frequent ethical obligations (Rachels, 1975)....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The History of Euthanasia and Its Future

euthanasia has become the center of debate and legal cases in the western countries.... hellip; This essay analyzes that euthanasia, as a painless act of putting a person suffering from incurable or distressing disease to death is legally wrong in Canada and United States regardless of its compassion, moral conviction, or good intentions.... euthanasia is a sensitive case to deal with by both medical practitioners and the family.... As a practicing nurse, it is our obligation to understand the legal, moral, and ethical concerns that surround the controversial issues of euthanasia....
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us