Prior to coming to college, I was unfamiliar with the death with dignity law. The first time I was exposed to it was during my ethics class at UNE a few years ago. We watched a documentary about people who decided to die with dignity and the process that they had to go through to be able to do that. When I first heard about this law, I was not sure what my feelings were about it. I did not know much about it, and I did not want to form an opinion about it until I was able to investigate it more. At first, I think I didn’t completely agree with the law, but after learning about it a few years ago, my opinion changed. The biggest principle that I follow throughout my life is being respectful of others’ opinions whether or not I believe the same things. I also believe that people should be able to make their own decisions, especially regarding decisions that involve life or death. When it comes to healthcare, people make life-saving decisions all the time. I feel like it is fair for them to be able to make life-ending decisions too. As a nurse, it is always important to be respectful of the decisions of the patients even if you do not agree.
The ethical principle of non-maleficence means that healthcare workers should never intentionally cause any harm to the patient. The dictionary definition of harm is to damage or injure physically or mentally. When it comes to death with dignity, people question if it follows the non-maleficence principle. In my opinion, I question if death with dignity can really be considered harm. It is obviously causing their death, but it is not unwanted or has intention to cause harm to the patient. When someone decides that they want to die with dignity, it must be thought through thoroughly and they are given many opportunities to change their mind. Is giving someone the opportunity to make a decision that they genuinely want means that they are intentionally causing harm? There seems to be a fine line between what people believe is right and wrong when it comes to the death with dignity law, and I am sure that this topic could be, and will be, debated for a long time .
