Interviews with two healthcare perspectives on assisted suicide ethics

Assisted Suicide

The ethical and moral issues surrounding assisted suicide are presented in this paper through interviews and research. Assisted suicide has always been a controversial subject and it continues to be controversial although there are people who believe it is moral, ethical, and should be made legal.

My Neighbor and Friend -- Ms. Rogers -- Interviewed February 4, 2015

Ms. Rogers is a 55-year-old Caucasian widow who lives in my neighborhood. She graciously agreed to be asked questions as to her views on assisted suicide, and so an interview was scheduled.

She was asked about her personal moral values and her religious beliefs regarding voluntary assisted suicide, and she said that she is a devout Christian and thus, she said that only God can give life, and only God can take it away. Her views are very much shared by many Christians and people of other faiths, so it was no surprise to learn that she basically opposes assisted suicide.

No matter what the justification, healthcare professionals have no business interfering with one's life, she said. Healthcare professionals are there to protect lives and promote good health, and if and when they participate in euthanasia, it should be considered murder, she insisted.

There is no doubt that Ms. Rogers has given a lot of thought to this topic because there was very little delay from the time I posed a question to the time she gave her response. She said that she was wholly against making assisted suicide legal. But she also said that although a patient near death has the perfect right to autonomy, and to determine that he or she would be better off ending life than continuing to suffer, a professional in the healthcare industry should not be part of the process of terminating that life.

Ms. Rogers went on to say that because nurses and physicians have taken an oath to do no harm, how could they morally, ethically go against that oath, she wondered? Instead of having one's life ended by assisted suicide, she said that when there is a terminal illness a patient should be receiving palliative care or hospice care, which includes measure such as morphine to reduce pain and suffering.

A nurse's job is to have compassion and to maintain his or her professional boundaries, Ms. Rogers said; those boundaries include helping the person to live and die in dignity, but death should not be brought on by assisted suicide.

Nikki O'Hare -- 35-year-old -- Interviewed February 3, 2015

This person just graduated as an FNP in December last year and believes that any person has the right to make the choice of euthanasia, but that she would prefer not to be part of an assisted suicide. She feels that hospice or a palliative healthcare professional should conduct this procedure. Would she support a law legalizing assisted suicide? Yes she would but she said there must be stipulations (like 4th stage cancer). In her hospital they use a fentanyl drip or morphine to keep the patient comfortable in a terminal situation. She doesn't agree that it's okay for any cancer patient to simply say, Oh, I have cancer now I want to die. There must be protocols that are followed.

Healthcare / Hospital Administrator -- Interviewed February 3, 2015

The administrator of a hospital was asked his opinion on human euthanasia and the Schiavo and Dax's case in particular. He said he believes our society doesn't deal well with the issues of death and dying. If the society had a better opportunity to more thoroughly review and discuss matters of death and dying, our culture would be more aware of all the facts and hence it would be more comfortable with assisted suicide. In other words, he feels the issue should be more out in the open and should be discussed and debated on the national stage. The Schiavo case (in which there was a controversy over whether to allow a patient to die who was in a coma) is not unique, he said; in fact his hospital deals with cases similar on a regular basis. If living wills were in place many of these controversies could be avoided, he stated. A dying person's wishes, stated clearly in a legal, notarized document, should be granted, he asserted.

Spiritual Leader -- Roman Catholic Priest -- Interviewed on February 4.

Father Frank Bussman was interviewed and he said, what if Jesus had asked to be euthanized rather than die on the Cross? Of course that would have defeated the purpose of God sending his son to earth. Christ's suffering was intended to relieve humanity of its sins. The Catholic Church is very much against assisted suicide. Since God created humans and all living things, God therefore has the prerogative to decide whether someone should live or die. So, there is no justification for humans to take another human life even though that person may be suffering from a terrible terminal disease, according to Father Bussman.

At the same time Bussman said it is morally unjustifiable for a person to take his or her own life due to a terrible disease that is accompanied with great pain and suffering. In other words, assisted suicide is not moral, is against the will of God, and therefore it should not be legalized or allowed to be used in any circumstances, Bussman asserts.

Worldview

The Roman Catholic viewpoint on assisted suicide is articulated by the United States Bishops Conference. Life is a very precious gift from God, and this fact alone has profound implications for the issue of the stewardship of humans. Because the Catholic Faith believes that humans since don't really own their lives (God owns lives) then humans have absolutely no right to decide what's to happen to humans.

In fact God expects that one of the duties of humans is to preserve life and to use human life to further the glory of God. As to those technologies used in healthcare that keep people alive, they are not acceptable. Nor is any form of assisted suicide acceptable, the priest continued. Hospitals and healthcare professionals have to allow patients to share in discussions as to the use of technologies (that might be used as end of life), according to the Catholic Church. Medicine should care even when there is not cure available, the dignity of human life should come first before the use of assisted suicide.

In conclusion, there are many opinions as to the morality and ethics regarding assisted suicide. In the end, people have to make up their own minds, and they should spell out what they want to happen when the end of their lives is at hand, and a living will is the most appropriate way to do that.