I think that death with dignity is a scary thing. It is not a common practice and is only legal in a few states. I also believe that a lot of people do not know about it or are not educated enough about it. I am honestly not sure how I feel about this practice, however I believe that the patient has a right to do what they want with their body. If this is something that they have thought about and have come to terms with their diagnosis/outcome, I do not see the problem in allowing someone to do this. It is an incredibly hard thing to do and they are brave for having the courage to do so.
As a nurse, it is our duty to protect our patients and death with dignity does go against the value of nonmaleficence to a certain extent. However, according to patient’s rights, they have the right to make their own decisions. If this is what they decide that they want to do, then the nurse should put their personal beliefs aside. I think that it is important for us to understand that these patients are not considered healthy. These are people with terminal illnesses, who unfortunately, will pass at some point. They want to be able to choose when to go and not get to a point where they rely on someone else to take care of them or become so sick that they are bedridden or not in a right state of mind. I think that this should be a more accepted practice. I think that people should have the option to use this, if they feel that it is necessary for them. I also believe that there needs to be more education to the public around this topic so it is not as much of a bad thing that most people think it is.
