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Nursing prides itself on a commitment to caring for patients and their families.
The opinions of the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals, in Compassion in Dying v. State of Washington and Quill v. Vacco , strike at the heart of the nursing value system. If the United States Supreme Court upholds either opinion, physicians will be legally allowed to help patients die, and nurses will be called on to assist with this process, just as nurses have assisted with electroconvulsive treatment, abortion, and other controversial procedures. This article will examine current nursing opinions on assisted suicide, analyze the portions of the circuit court decisions that would affect nurses, highlight potential nursing role changes, and summarize major questions that hang in the balance. To order the full text of this article, please go to ordering .