Euthanasia and assisted suicide represent a radical move into an entirely different realm of morality, that of one person killing another. Also, the change could create a danger that caregivers' right to kill would become a duty to kill. Assisted suicide would require government regulation and oversight, but physicians and their patients make their decisions in private and act in private. For this reason, the legal system can't effectively control euthanasia. Callahan writes that a peaceful death within the community with appropriate medical technology to address pain and suffering is the better choice and we should, as a society, reject euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Respected ethicists make valid arguments for both perspectives.
For nurses to maintain an informed dialog, we must educate ourselves about both sides of the issue. If you're for euthanasia and assisted suicide, read articles from the other side, and vice-versa. In the near future, the nursing profession will be required to address this issue. Euthanasia is legal in some states, and soon will be legal in others. Patients will ask for help with pain, including euthanasia, and they will have a legal right to it.