I have never really thought about death with dignity and my thoughts on it because I hope to never be in a position where that is an option that I am considering. However, when asked, my initial thoughts are that I have no idea my thoughts on it are, whether I believe it is right or wrong. I feel that it is impossible to really have a viewpoint on it unless you are in the patient’s shoes. I know that if I was in a position where my daily life function would slowly deteriorate, I would not want people to remember me that way. As I thought more of this idea, I began to support the idea that, when faced with a terminal illness with only a certain amount of time left to live, the patient should have the option to pass with dignity or live all the way until their last day. Once it gets to the point where no turnaround is possible, it should be an option for patients. This is a view on it as a free American citizen. On the other hand, my viewpoint on it as a health care provider, I would struggle with the fact of giving a patient something that would kill them. I know that there is so much more that goes into this process but putting it in simple terms of killing the patient is something that I would greatly struggle with.

The first ethical principle, non-maleficence, or do no harm is directly tied to the nurse’s duty to protect the patient’s safety. These principles dictate that nurses do not cause injury to our patients. The death with dignity does challenge these principles because as nurses we are supposed to promote health and wellness of our patients. Death with dignity goes against everything within our scope of practice. As nurses, we are supposed to take care of our patients with individualized care plans to keep them comfortable and alive. It my final year of nursing school, the death with dignity concept has never been talked about until now. We are always told to respond to end of life commentary with therapeutic responses and not actually collaborating with physicians to give patients medications that will grant their wishes. My take on death with dignity is conflicted by my beliefs as a human being and my beliefs as a nurse.