The Ethical and Legal Aspects of Healthcare

Physician Assisted Suicide as an End of Life Decision

Physician-assisted suicide is defined as the deliberate extinction of an individual 's life through administering of fatal substance with the support of a doctor or a nurse whether it is indirect or direct support Physician-assisted suicide further , is an activity of catering for a knowledgeable sick person with a treatment for prescription for the person to use with the main purpose of dying prematurely (Cherry and Jacob , 2008

The on Physician assisted suicide largely remains discordant ethical issue in the world today

because the argument regarding its lawful and ethical status continues to bring division in the health industry . Therefore this will be in a position to discuss on the role of nurses in physician-assisted suicide since they are under an obligation of making a number of decisions and choices regarding termination of their patients ' life prematurely based on the patient 's request . There is sufficient evidence that nurses do have a role in physician-assisted suicide in that they are faced with the decisions regarding termination of one 's life prematurely based on the individual 's request (Bilsen and Vander , 2004

In my own view I believe that nurses do have a role in physician-assisted suicide for instance the issue of respect of independence of any person is crucial . I hold the view that any competent individual have a right to make his own decisions including decisions regarding his /her death . So when an individual opts for Physician-assisted suicide then nurses can choose to administer to them or not . Also I do believe that nurses have /a role in physician-assisted suicide practices in that sometimes some patients may be very ill and that the only solution is to subject them to early death in to avoid more suffering and trauma . I further hold the view that physician-assisted suicide practices by nurses is a solution to intolerable suffering by some patients

Role of Nurses on Physician-Assisted Suicide

In essence , physician-assisted suicide is among the many roles of nurses in the world this implies that the nurses have the role of making decision based on the consultation with the patients involved . This is mainly because nurses are competent and very well trained on issues concerning the health of their patients . Nurses too are very close to their patients and therefore they are aware of their health status and can assist in coming with decisions regarding physician-assisted suicide practices . The nurses also play the role of counseling particularly to the patients and to their next of kin . This is a crucial decision before the nurse prescribes the medicine that the patient can use to terminate his life early . Such counselling avoids future implications for instance legal suits taken against nurses because before prescribing the fatal drugs they would have arrived at a mutual decision to do so . Nurses have the role of advising the patients and their families that the particular diseases that the patient suffers from requires physician-assisted suicide in...